According to a report by The Metro, Liverpool have received a huge boost in the race to sign Jasper Cillessen from Barcelona. The report goes on to claim that our Premier League rivals Chelsea are also interested in acquiring his services this summer.
Cillessen has been playing second fiddle to Marc Andre Ter Stegen, who is the undisputed No.1 for the Catalan giants right now. Due to a severe shortage of game time at Camp Nou, the 29-year-old must look for options elsewhere.
Now, Liverpool have recently signed Alisson Becker from AS Roma and it goes without saying that he will be the first-choice goalkeeper for us next season. We also have the likes of Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius on our books but as per a report from The Telegraph, we might offload both of them before the transfer window slams shut.
If that happens, it makes sense for Liverpool to sign Cillessen. The Metro further states that Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has “confirmed” that the Dutchman is, in fact, closing in on an exit this summer.
When asked about Cillessen, Valverde said (h/t The Metro):
“The truth that is quite close, tomorrow will have to play. I cannot imagine another situation ahead of time. But I do not have a key to anything.”
In 21 appearances for Barcelona, Cillessen has maintained 11 clean sheets, which speaks volumes of his calibre and power between the sticks. Considering the error-laden performances of Mignolet and Karius from the previous term, it would be nice to have someone as reliable as Cillessen as our backup keeper.
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However, the goalkeeper is already facing a lack of game time at Barcelona and it remains to be seen if he would be willing to play as the second-choice keeper yet again at Liverpool.
