There wasn’t a lot of transfer activity for the top clubs in England and the same could be said about Liverpool. The Reds might have let Mamadou Sakho leave the club on loan to Crystal Palace but there were no major signings by the Merseyside giants.
Liverpool were linked with a number of players throughout the winter window, one of which was Atalanta’s rising star Franck Kessie. The Ivorian wasn’t just linked with a move to Anfield, but Chelsea, Tottenham and a host of other clubs were looking to sign the talented 20-year-old.
The Mirror claims that Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea wanted to sign up the player, basis a quote given by his agent, George Atangana. The agent was reportedly speaking to Calciomercato and even added the likes of the Manchester clubs to those running after the 20-year-old.
“We have a lot of interest from the Premier League. Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
“I cannot say at this stage how much he will cost but we are talking about one of the best young players in the world. But for us the most important thing is that the technical project is the right one for him.”
While it may seem that the player’s agent is bragging a bit, Kessie has had a spectacular season given the fact that he is still 20-years of age. The midfielder plays in a defensive role but he has scored seven goals for the Serie A side and has pushed them into European contention.
Atalanta lies sixth in the league standings and could push higher up the table. Kessie probably will not stay at the club next season and the highest bidder will sign the player up, which is where Liverpool could face problems.
The Reds do not have the biggest transfer budget amongst the other clubs mentioned and they would not like to get into a bidding war for a player. Jurgen Klopp had stated in the winter window that he couldn’t sign anyone he wanted simply because no one was available and clubs did not want to sell.
This is a similar story for Kessie at the moment and with his stock rising, it will be difficult to see him move on the cheap. Liverpool do need a quality defensive midfielder but they need someone who can also make the important runs from midfield and help the attack.
Kessie ticks all the boxes for now, but him moving to another club managed by an Italian, Chelsea, seems to be the obvious choice come the next transfer window.
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