How Man Utd takeover affects Thuram's Liverpool transfer

Tom Weber

• Updated: 13 Jun 2023 21:15 BST
• 3 min read

The Manchester United takeover saga could have an unexpected impact on Liverpool's pursuit of Khephren Thuram, according to French media.

As we have been exclusively reporting for months, the Reds are keen on striking a deal for the OGC Nice star and talks have been ongoing for a while, with the player having already agreed personal terms.

Thuram would be another midfield arrival at Anfield following the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton. Jurgen Klopp and new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke are looking to revamp Liverpool's centre of the park and Thuram would be an ideal option.

Yet negotiations may not proceed as smoothly as the Merseyside club would have hoped, and it is because of their pesky rivals from Manchester. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's bid for ownership of Manchester United will have consequences for his French club, Nice, and this could in turn affect Liverpool's Thuram deal.

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Hardball or no deal?

According to L'Equipe, a successful takeover by Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group would negatively impact Nice's budget for next season. This could mean two things.

Either Nice will play hardball in the negotiations with Liverpool and try to squeeze as much money as possible out of the deal in order to have more room to manoeuvre in the transfer market. Or they will outright refuse to sell one of their star players given that they have European ambitions and are keen to improve on a disappointing season.

Either way, a transfer will be harder to achieve should Ratcliffe beat out the competition from Sheikh Jassim in the Manchester United takeover saga.

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French media claim that Nice are asking for around €60 million for Thuram as things stand, which aligns exactly with what we have been reporting. But if Liverpool fail to strike a deal, they may have to focus their efforts on other targets like Manu Kone or Romeo Lavia.