Liverpool are chasing the signature for one of Lyon’s young defenders according to the Sport Review. The report claims that we are in the race to sign 21-year-old Emanuel Mammana and that we have already tabled a £14.9million bid for the Argentine international.
The report adds that we are willing to offer the youngster £54,000 a week, should he decide to move to Anfield in the summer. Mammana is contracted with the Ligue1 giants until 2021 and is said to be waiting for permission to speak to us from his employers before any official deal can be agreed between the two clubs.
Mammana plays in the heart of the defence and does have a bright future ahead of him. He has played for the Argentina national side three times and was bought by Lyon from River Plate last season.
The report also claims that London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham were interested in the defender last season but no deal could take place for the 21-year-old.
The Argentine centre-half made 24 appearances for the French club last season and also helped them to keep four clean sheets. However, the link to him is a major surprise as Jurgen Klopp has mostly been targeting players who can fit into the first team rather than become a backup for our defence.
The 21-year-old does have a lot of potential but in a time when we have been linked with a move for Virgil van Dijk, Mammana wouldn’t be a starter for us. He could turn out to be a decent cover for the likes of Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip.
The need for cover is important since Lucas Leiva is a certainty to leave the side in the summer while Mamadou Sakho is another player that will leave for sure. Joe Gomez would have been one of the players looking to break into the match day squad but his development hasn’t been going as well as many would have expected.
Mammana wouldn’t be a poor signing but expecting him to turn out to be a fantastic defender from the first day would be a wrong idea to have of him. We doubt if Mammana will be the solution to our centre-back problems for now, but he could turn out to be a gem in the future.
