Not Hart – Liverpool To Battle With Manchester United For £25m English Goalkeeper

Liverpool have long been linked with moves for a goalkeeper and a lot of names have surfaced the list. Joe Hart has been one of the most prominent names to have been making the headlines of Liverpool transfer news.

However, this piece of information is not about the on-loan Manchester City stopper, but about Sunderland goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford. The current Liverpool keepers Mignolet and Karius have failed to establish themselves as top class stoppers. Nevertheless, they are certainly talented and maybe, Karius deserves more time to prove himself, unlike Mignolet, who has clearly underperformed.

According to The telegraph, a host of English clubs including Liverpool are preparing a move for the youngster, who has been the only bright spot in Sunderland’s disappointing campaign. The Black Cats are already relegated and are believed to be willing to accept offers for the 23-year old stopper.

Pickford put on a stunning display against Hull City to land the Tigers into the relegation zone. It was Marco Silva’s first ever home defeat as a manager and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, and West Ham are all interested in signing the English ‘keeper. The report also says that a cash offer of £25m, plus add-ons, is likely to be too tempting to resist and Sunderland may give in if such a bid comes in.

With so many clubs willing to buy the youngster, there is likely to be a bidding war but that would be down to the intensity of the interest that the clubs show.

After the win against Hull City, Moyes spoke about Pickford. He was quoted by The Telegraph,

“At the moment, I really wouldn’t know what the odds are on him staying. Obviously, it’s up to the club, but if Jordan was to go elsewhere and not be the number one, that wouldn’t be good for him. You can see what he does for us with the saves he makes. He’s been outstanding from day one. The saves he made against Hull, they weren’t even special, he makes them all the time.”

Moyes seems to make sense here. Moving to a club like Manchester United, where he would have to be the understudy to David de Gea would not help his career growth. However, at Liverpool, he might get enough chances to prove himself and Klopp is a man who is known for making some brave decisions. Although the German tactician has backed his goalkeepers so far, if they don’t raise their level of performances, then it is hard to see Jurgen sticking with Mignolet and Karius.

Buying Pickford would be a good step towards the future but the only question is if the player would be willing to join Liverpool.