The Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is currently on a hunt to sign a perfect central midfielder, who can complement Emre Can with his defensive duties and can also contribute to the attacks. Many-many players were linked with a move to the club, but till date, nothing has been materialized. So far, the German gaffer has completed three signings of the summer, namely, Sadio Mane, Joel Matip and Loris Karius, but the central area is still deserted.
A move for Piotr Zielinski was reported to be moving closer to the final stages, but now, the Mirror has reported that Liverpool’s £11m for the Polish international has been rejected by Udinese, and now, Liverpool won’t be offering anything more than that.
Udinese’s sporting director Norea Bonato even stated that Liverpool’s offer for the Polish international was not at all appealing and that means Piotr will be heading to Napoli. Bonato said:
“There has been an agreement for Zielinski with Napoli for some time, but the guy took his time, as he had to play at the Euros.
“Perhaps now is the right time to make his decision. Liverpool did not make a real offer, and if the English team does not come out of the closet, the boy eventually will understand the situation and will decide his future based on his offers.”
With Zielinski gone, Klopp will have to look for other options and if the rumours are to be believed, then Liverpool are now chasing the Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel and Newcastle United’s playmaker Moussa Sissoko.
Buying these two superstars won’t make any sense, and therefore, the German will have to look around all the possibilities and aspects before making a move.
Firstly, talking about the Belgian international, Axel Witsel. The 27-year-old currently plays for the Russian side Zenit Saint Petersburg and recently, he has completed his fourth season with the club. He was bought from the Portuguese side Benfica on a reported fee of €40 million, and it is certain that the Russian side will try to recoup the money they paid for the player, i.e. €40 million.
It is understood that €40m is quite a big amount to pay and that too for a player, who hasn’t been tested in the Premier League even once. There is no doubt that the player himself is a gem, he loves to engage himself in the tackles and besides that, he is known for his disciplinary duties which allows him to remain cool and composed all over the game. The only problem Liverpool will face in the speculation will be regarding the fee. As stated earlier, Zenit will be looking to recoup the fee, and therefore, he won’t come in handy.
Now, talking about Moussa Sissoko; the 26-year-old French international joined Newcastle United back in January 2013 from the French side Toulouse for a reported fee of around £1.5m. The 26-year-old had a tough start to his career, but eventually became a first team regular. Sissoko is known for his tireless running in the game and besides that, due to his versatility, he could be used in multiple positions, namely, defensive midfield, central midfield, attacking midfield and even as a winger.
Sissoko is a tough man to beat and just due to his muscular built; he can offer Liverpool a completely different dimension. With Newcastle being relegated, Sissoko might look to move away from the St. James’ Park and Liverpool might be the perfect destination for him.
If talking about both the players, I’d prefer to go for the French midfielder Moussa Sissoko as the 26-year-old has a great experience of the Premier League than Witsel, and besides that, Sissoko could be deployed on a number of positions and due to his incredible stamina, he can play almost every single game for the team.
