Liverpool considering shock transfer for De Jong
Suraj Radia
- 25 Aug 2022 09:59 CDT
- 3 min read
Liverpool have become the latest club to register an interest in Frenkie de Jong and the Reds are reportedly willing to offer Barcelona a total of €71 million for the midfielder.
De Jong has been told he must leave Barcelona or take a pay cut but the Dutchman has been reluctant to depart despite having an offer from Manchester United on the table for most of the summer.
The 25-year-old was not keen on leaving for a team outside the Champions League and United have since spent £70m on Casemiro, meaning their approach for De Jong is all but dead.
Chelsea have been strongly linked with a move for De Jong and the player's agent is in London ahead of the transfer deadline next week.
However, Liverpool could make a shock attempt to sign De Jong, according to a report from Catalan outlet El Nacional, who say the club are considering an offer of €62m plus €9m in variables.
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Liverpool had previously briefed that their transfer business was done for the summer after spending €100m on Darwin Nunez in July but the team's poor start to the season may have caused a re-think for Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds were noticeably weak in midfield during their recent 2-1 loss to rivals United, having to rely on veterans Jordan Henderson and James Milner, with Thiago, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all injured.
Keita in particular has indicated that he may not be willing to extend his contract, which expires next summer, further compounding the need for midfield reinforcements.
Klopp is believed to be planning a move for Dortmund's Jude Bellingham next summer but the club now appear concerned about waiting until then and could move for De Jong in the interim.
With Milner, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain all having their deals expiring in 2023, the club may sanction moves for De Jong and Bellingham to bolster their ageing and injury-prone midfield.
High press = GOAL
👏 @DeJongFrenkie21 pic.twitter.com/CbCPTBc91B— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 25, 2022
While De Jong was initially keen on staying at Barcelona, the club's treatment of him would likely see him consider a move to Liverpool if an offer was made.
Barcelona had threatened the player with legal action in regards to a contract extension he signed in 2020 which they deem void, with the club also hoping to avoid paying De Jong the €17m in deferred wages that they owe him.
