Lazar Markovic holds talks with Fiorentina
Liverpool winger Lazar Markovic has reportedly entered negotiations with Fiorentina over a possible summer move. Jurgen Klopp is keen to offload the Serbian on a permanent basis this summer and hopefully recouping much of the £21m paid for the winger in 2014 from Benfica. With Markovic not really getting to do much more than enjoy over 700 casino games at EuroPalace this summer, the winger is thought to be keen to kick-start his career in Italy.
Goal reported, “The 23-year-old, who is not part of Jurgen Klopp’s plans for the upcoming campaign, flew to Italy to assess whether the Serie A side would be the right fit for him as he carefully plots his next career move.”
Watford are rumoured to be interested, but appears to have been priced out of a move. Fiorentina have now reportedly emerged as front-runners to sign the 23-year-old. The winger has since been left out of the squad for pre-season friendlies in Germany to hold talks with the Serie A outfit.
Liverpool linked with loan move for Inter outcast
Reports claimed that Inter Milan may be ready to sanction a loan-deal for Brazilian striker Gabriel Barbosa and that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is interested in taking him to Anfield.
Liverpool made enquiries about the player’s availability in January but the two clubs failed to reach an agreement. The Brazilian is also understood to be on the radars of Las Palmas and a host of Premier League clubs including Southampton, Leicester City, Stoke City, West Ham, and Swansea.
Bleacher Report claim Liverpool have expressed an interest in signing him on loan for the forthcoming campaign, and other sources have indicated that Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Everton, Southampton, Leicester City, Stoke City and Swansea City have all expressed an interest in signing the front man for next season.
Liverpool suffers Naby Keita transfer blow
Liverpool have been told that €75m is not enough to buy Naby Keita from RB Leipzig this summer. The Reds have had two bids rejected for Keita already this summer and were preparing a third and final bid which included £40m to be paid up front.
However, RB Leipzig have held their ground on selling their best players, with the billionaire owner of Red Bull Dietrich Mateschitz even weighing into the matter, claiming money isn’t a temptation for the club.
Leipzig’s managing director Oliver Mintzlaff also further deny that Keita will not be leaving the club this summer
“€75m (£66.9m) is not enough to buy Keita. He is world class, he stays,” Mitzlaff told Bild.
“RB Leipzig is looking forward to the next season together with Naby Keita.”
This means Liverpool will have to wait until next summer to sign the 22-year-old when his £48m release clause becomes active, and with increased competition from other clubs due to the price.
However, RB Leipzig’s Director of Football Ralf Rangnick is far from impressed by the midfielder, saying.
“There should be someone who points them into the right direction,” he said at a coaching convention in Bochum on Wednesday. “The boys themselves are not the problem here. It is their surroundings. A whole village in Guinea or somebody from their entourage tells the players why they must do something right away. I can’t blame the players.
“I expect them to play for us next season. Both are extraordinary players who make the difference for our team.”