Liverpool may be granted a transfer advantage from the most unexpected of sources this summer, as Jurgen Klopp seeks to fully rebuild his Anfield midfield.
The Reds boss has made no secret of the fact that several midfielders are to be purchased in the coming months, in order for Liverpool to rebuild at the spine of the team and begin setting the foundations for a new era.
Multiple targets have been identified, following the exits of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – despite the recent arrival of Brighton star Alexis Mac Allister.
The one name that continually crops up is that of Kephren Thuram, the young France prodigy and son of legendary World Cup winner Lillian Thuram.
Thuram is one of the most highly rated emerging players on the continent, and Liverpool have reportedly touched base with his club Nice on several occasions to sound out the logistics of a move.
So far the two clubs appear to be at a stalemate, but an unlikely Manchester United link could very quickly make all the pieces move in the same direction.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the principle owner of Nice, continues to be embroiled in a public bidding war with Sheikh Jassim to acquire United from the Glazer family.
Recent reports suggest Jassim is ahead of his counterpart by some way, though it has long been stated that Ratcliffe is in fact the Glazers’ preferred candidate to take over at the helm – providing the final offer is good enough.
Any protracted purchase of United would have direct implications for Ratcliffe’s Nice, as report French sports daily L’Equipe.
It is stated that due to financial constraints the Ligue 1 club would have their budget cut back as a result, while Ratcliffe pools his resources into United.
This would explain Liverpool’s caution with a potential Thuram deal, despite Klopp’s awareness that super-rich Newcastle are also eyeing up the youngster.
Ever astute in the transfer market, by waiting for the outcome of Ratcliffe’s United takeover bid, Liverpool could yet secure Thuram for a significantly lesser fee than first imagined.
The 22-year-old has been said to be valued in the region of £40-£50m by Nice, in a transfer estimate that Liverpool simply are not willing to meet.
Through recent skilled negotiations and an understanding of historic buy-out clause agreements, the Reds managed to prise World Cup winner Mac Allister from Brighton for a reported up front payment of just £35m, with the agreement of additional minor clauses during his Anfield tenure.
Despite a clear desperation to bring in high quality in the centre of the park, Liverpool have set out their stall early days to show rival clubs that they will not be a pushover when it comes to paying lofty transfer fees.
Klopp’s side are also contending with a reduced budget, having finished fifth last season and failing to make the Champions League.
Liverpool are to enter the Europa League for the first time since 2015, joining the second tier of Europe’s elite to battle for the trophy most recently won by Sevilla.
