German publication SportBild reports that Liverpool are interested in signing midfielder Renato Sanches from Bayern Munich, although only a permanent deal would appeal to the Reds.

This comes in the wake of the failed pursuit of Guinean midfielder Naby Keita who would have been a perfect Klopp-signing.

Jurgen Klopp has pushed the Anfield chiefs to try everything possible for signing Keita from RB Leipzig. Truth be told, we did everything we could, but Leipzig held firm for a player who is poised to become one of the world’s best. It was begrudging that Klopp had to accept defeat in the pursuit and look at alternatives. This is where Sanches comes into the picture.

Does Sanches Fit The Bill?

The Portuguese youngster burst onto the world scenes with dynamic performances in the 2016 Euros. His lung-bursting performances helped Portugal go all the way and in the process, Sanches became a target for many high-profile teams.

Bayern Munich beat the competition to snap him up and it looked like the world was at his feet. But football isn’t played in the boardrooms and Sanches’ form last season was very ordinary.

He struggled to have any influence in the limited opportunities that he got, leaving the club looking at options of loaning him out. Bayern still rate him very high and believe that a spell outside Bavaria will do a world of good to his confidence.

Will We Get Sanches?

Tough to say but as things stand, Liverpool are the laggards in the race to sign Sanches. Manchester United, who went head-to-head with Bayern last season for Sanches, are looking to get the youngster work with his fellow countryman Jose Mourinho. There is strong interest coming from Serie A club AC Milan who are willing to take him on loan with an option to buy. Antonio Conte of Chelsea too has jumped into the fray in recent weeks (BILD).

This makes our interest in the player come late in the day. Also, Klopp will not be ready to take a youngster on loan and develop his game only to see him achieve his full potential elsewhere. Only a permanent deal will appeal to Liverpool although it is not what Bayern want.

Crazier things have happened in the transfer market and if we build our interest with a bid, the Bavarians may relent and sell Sanches outright. At the moment though, the chances of that look very remote!

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