Liverpool have reportedly been given a firm indicator as to how much they’ll need to pay if they’re to sign Perr Schuurs this summer.
Friday’s print edition of Tuttosport claimed (via Football Italia) that Torino are demanding at least €40m (£34.2m) for the defender, with Crystal Palace having offered €35m (£30m) and the Reds’ most recent bid amounting to €30m (£25.7m).
Il Toro are insisting upon their asking price so that they can fund their own summer transfer activity from selling the 23-year-old, with Nikola Vlasic of West Ham among their primary targets.
This reports conflicts with one from Calciomercato earlier in the week which stated that the Serie A club’s president Urbano Cairo may be willing to take a slight discount on Schuurs’ £34.2m asking price, but wouldn’t go below £30m.
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While the various Italian outlets have shared contradictory reports over the past few days, what does seem clear is that Liverpool will definitely need to stump up somewhere in the £30m-£35m bracket for the Dutchman.
The Reds continue to be on the lookout for a new centre-back this summer, even though midfield may soon attract a greater focus following reports of potential exits for Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
It remains to be seen just how seriously the club will pursue Schuurs, and it may be dependent on whether Nathaniel Phillips departs amid reported interest from Leeds and Feyenoord, and whether other centre-back targets like Levi Colwill possibly fall by the wayside.
There’s also the risk that Palace will show greater intent in trying to land the Torino defender and beat Liverpool to the punch, but for now we’ll just have to wait and see if the Merseysiders can table an offer which’d be more to the Serie A club’s liking.