Liverpool will still look to bring Cheick Doucoure to Anfield, even despite his £70m asking price at Crystal Palace.
The player, likewise, is understood to be keen on a move to Merseyside ahead of the summer transfer window closing on 1st September, as has been reported by Football Insider.
The Reds are thought to be still in the market for a multi-functional midfielder and a left-sided centre-half, amid reports of weekend talks with Bayern Munich over wantaway star Ryan Gravenberch.
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Possessing ideal progressive and defensive traits, the Malian (on a reported £60,000-a-week, according to the aforementioned report) would fit the bill in terms of the progressive destroyer profile Jurgen Klopp and his recruitment team had identified.
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However, the signing of former Stuttgart captain Wataru Endo has thrown the possibility of such a move in serious doubt.
Interestingly, it has brought prior targets like Gravenberch, Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone back into the mix. That said, Empire of the Kop understands the latter is not under serious consideration.
With the clock ticking, any action in the market surely must reach a conclusion in the near future to leave us enough time to pursue a backup centre-half before the window slams shut.
#Ep87 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Steve Kay & Tobi Altschäffl🎙️