There are a couple of transfer rumours that just won’t die. While Liverpool have been doing well in the Premier League, they have been linked with moves for Geoffrey Kondogbia and Michael Keane. A move for Kondogbia, who is rated at €31m, does not really make sense as the Frenchman is not the kind of player that Jurgen Klopp needs at the club.
The former Monaco star hasn’t really done well at Inter Milan either and bringing him in would be a big risk. The other player in question, though, Michael Keane does seem to be a decent option for the Reds at the moment.
The former Manchester United defender has come back to the Premier League with Burnley and has put in a few top notch performances. The 23-year-old was part of the United setup as late as 2015 but was sold to Burnley in search of regular football.
While Liverpool do have a decent centre-back pairing of Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip, an injury to either of them could lead to major problems. Ragnar Klavan is decent cover for the duo but the Estonian might not be able to play every game for the Reds.
A Sakho replacement?
This could be the reason why Liverpool are trying to sign Keane up. Mamadou Sakho’s future at Liverpool seems more or less done. Barring a miracle, we may not see Sakho play at the club again and he could be shipped off in the winter window.
That would mean a lot of games for the Reds with no real cover and Keane could be the man that replaces Sakho’s shoes. The 23-year-old isn’t new to English football and has even played in the lower leagues.
Keane was also voted as the reserve player of the year at Manchester United in 2012. The Englishman also played for the English setup till the U21 age group, so he does have a decent amount of experience.
There are a couple of things that might not work in favour of the Reds. Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Keane as Antonio Conte looks to bring in fresh English blood into an ageing and poor performance defence.
The other thing that is important to note is that Jurgen Klopp does not sign players in the winter window. Even last season, when the Reds had injury issues, he went ahead and brought in Steven Caulker on a loan deal, so signing Keane does seem to be a bit of a stretch.
There have been many rumours about Liverpool signing players but that is what it is. Jurgen Klopp has been able to keep things shut with respect to transfers and that means the team can concentrate on their football.