Liverpool join rivals in the race for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha

According to Daily Mail, Liverpool are among the clubs that are interested in signing Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha in the summer.

The Portuguese international, who arrived at Craven Cottage last summer for a deal worth around £20m from Sporting Lisbon, has had an excellent first season in the Premier League.

He is one of the key reasons why Marco Silva’s men are doing so well in the division after getting promoted at the end of last season. Although he is 27, there is no reason why he can’t still improve if he moves to a truly ‘big’ club such as Liverpool with elite coaches.

The report reveals that Liverpool are seriously considering a move for Palhinha, who would now cost £60m to the Reds. Him being suspended for the Arsenal game was a huge loss for the London-based side.

While Fulham are confident of keeping the player for one more season, knowing that he still has four years of contract here, it is understandable to think that he may leave the club this summer.

We are aware that Liverpool will be looking to add new faces in the midfield department in the coming transfer window. Their primary target Jude Bellingham is going to cost somewhere around £130m.

They are also in the race for Mason Mount, Matheus Nunes and Kouadio Kone. But all of them are box-to-box midfielders. Palhinha is a defensive midfielder who can be an ideal Fabinho backup or replacement.

So, while the price quoted for the 27-year-old is a bit higher than expected, he could be worth it. At this age, he is in the peak years of his career, hence should not take much time to acclimatise to the playing system of Jurgen Klopp.

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• Former Arsenal full-back Lauren says Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is the best in the world
• Barcelona set £53m price tag on Liverpool target Ansu Fati

Hence, if possible, Liverpool must explore the possibility of signing Palhinha in the summer. In fact, the Portuguese should be one of the primary midfield targets alongside Bellingham. He will add experience, legs and quality to that department.