As the World Cup draws to a close, thoughts turn to Liverpool’s impending fixtures against Manchester City and Aston Villa. Jürgen and the team have been enjoying a warm-weather training camp in Dubai and are set to pit themselves against Divock Origi’s AC Milan.
Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got some well-needed minutes in their legs in a 3-1 defeat to Lyon last Sunday, but with the pair set to leave at the end of the season, could a potential replacement be lining up in the World Cup Final?
Benfica’s Enzo Fernández has been one of the stars of Argentina’s run in the competition, and reports have emerged this week that an ‘agreement’ has been put in place for the 21-year-old to make a move to Anfield.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we asked goal.com’s Neil Jones if he thought there was any truth to the rumour.
Neil said:
“Twenty-one, a player of physicality dynamism, quality, international pedigree now, Champions League experience. There are a lot of boxes being ticked there. He looks like a player that really will be in the frame to move to an elite-level club. Benfica are doing really well. We know Benfica are a selling club, they will never be a club that hangs on to Darwin Núñez, Rúben Dias, or anyone else – that’s their model. They bring in, sell on, find the next one, and do the same. The people I spoke to at Liverpool said that there is no agreement. That’s what they said – that it is not true. We’ll see. They don’t have to tell the truth in situations like that, but I don’t think Liverpool are at the stage where they’ve agreed anything with Fernandez or Benfica, or both. I think it’s just more case of a player of interest and ‘let’s see what can be done’. I don’t think it’ll be January; I think it will be next summer, whatever he does.”
Redmen Reacts
Fernández has looked the part for La Albiceleste since his selection against Mexico in the second group stage game. He capped off a superb performance that day with one of the goals of the tournament. He fits the bill for the sort of player Liverpool tend to look at – not an established world-class talent, but someone with the potential to achieve greatness. Despite the existing relationship between Rui Costa and Julian Ward dating back to Ward’s time with the Portuguese Football Federation, the ex-AC Milan and Fiorentina legend has stated his side have no intention of selling players in January, so a mooted £200million double ‘winter swoop’ for Fernández and Jude Bellingham seems fanciful at this stage. Unfortunately, the same caveat applies to this transfer rumour as it does all other rumours – until LFC’s ownership situation becomes clear, it is hard to gauge the level of potential spending.
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