Two of the strongest-linked players for a summer move to Merseyside have been Khéphren Thuram and Gladbach’s Manu Koné. The pair were pictured together recently and are likely to be lining up for France in the upcoming under-21s Euros. The question on the lips of Liverpool fans around the world is whether or not they will be lining up together at club level as well.
Sky Germany’s Florian ‘Plettigoal’ Plettenberg appeared to pour cold water on the suggestion last weekend, describing Koné’s chances of a transfer to Anfield as ‘very unlikely’.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we asked experienced LFC journalist Neil Jones for the latest on Koné.
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Neil said:
“Thuram and Koné almost come together a little bit at the moment. They’re the two names most strongly linked. We’ve asked ‘one or the other’ or ‘both’? I’ve lent towards the ‘one or the other.’
“I would have said more towards Thuram… when you speak to club sources – I wouldn’t say Koné was ever dismissed – but it was never encouraged as much as maybe Alexis Mac Allister previously.
“I’ve had more on Thuram than on Koné, not necessarily as a dismissal of Koné, but more he’s ‘someone we’ve looked at,’ as opposed to he’s ‘someone we like a lot.’
“If Liverpool don’t buy him at that price, it suggests they weren’t particularly hot on him, doesn’t it? If Liverpool were hot on him, you’d imagine they’d be in there and getting that done.
“If you get told that a transfer to Liverpool is unlikely, the likelihood is that’s because Liverpool have got someone else.”
Redmen Reacts
With the summer transfer window only set to open tomorrow, there is still so much to play out in terms of Liverpool’s possible incomings. Just this morning, links have emerged between the club and Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, so a balance must be struck between the desire to get the business finished early and seeing if quality players become available because of other deals. The rumoured fee for Koné is at a price point LFC are familiar with, so bringing him in feels like it could be easily achievable if the club put its full weight behind the deal. There is already a bond between Thuram and Koné at this early stage of their careers, having come through the French youth setup together. The pair could form a useful partnership in the centre of midfield. The form of Fabinho over the past 18 months has been worrying, so a deeper-lying midfielder seems like it should be a priority for Jürgen Klopp. At this stage, it does not look as if Manu Koné is that man.
TO HEAR MORE FROM NEIL ON KHEPHREN THURAM, CLICK HERE
