With just one day to go until the summer transfer window swings open, Liverpool have already sealed their first signing in Alexis Mac Allister. As well as focusing on regenerating the midfield, the injury record and form of some of Jürgen Klopp’s defenders is becoming a cause for concern.
Links to a variety of players are ‘hotting up’, with SportBILD’s Christian Falk reporting that the club have made contact with the agent of 2018 World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard. The 27-year-old is widely expected to leave Bayern Munich this summer as his contract expires in 12 months’ time.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we spoke to experienced LFC journalist Neil Jones for the inside scoop on Pavard.
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Neil said:
“I didn’t think it made sense when it first emerged from his point of view and from Liverpool’s point of view. If it was a free transfer or something like that, you’d say maybe there would be a little bit in there.
“Dismissing transfer stories – especially transfer stories that are sourced by good journalists and reliable journalists – is always a dangerous thing, but Liverpool have dismissed it.
“Liverpool have said that it’s not true, we’re not in for him, we’re not after him, he’s not a target.
“Liverpool club sources dismiss a lot of players that are linked with Liverpool because a lot of players are linked within Liverpool. It’s very rare, in fact, I can’t think of anyone that they’ve ever done it in those explicit terms of: ‘Look, it’s not happening.’
“Sometimes you might get the wishy-washy dismissal of ‘not really much going on there’ or ‘not at this moment in time’. It wasn’t that. It was: ‘We don’t want this player.’
“I don’t expect him to be a Liverpool player this summer. Whoever I’ve been speaking to Liverpool doesn’t either. It will be interesting to see where he does end up, but I don’t think it’ll be Anfield.”
Redmen Reacts
Hold off getting ‘Pavard’ printed on the back of the new shirt! Doubts had crept in about the suitability of the signing, given that the Frenchman has expressed an interest in playing primarily as a centre-back and is looking to become a first-team regular. He would not be guaranteed either of those conditions at LFC. He seemed a good option as a possible back-up to Ibou Konaté, or as a conventional right-back should Trent Alexander-Arnold pick up an injury or move permanently into a midfield position.
Unless Neil’s club source is dropping a bluff so big it would beat James Bond at the poker table, do not expect to see Benjamin Pavard – who was described as ‘underrated’ by Thomas Tuchel recently – lining up for the Reds in 23/24. It would seem foolish to go into the new season without adding some quality to the defensive positions, so hopefully, Liverpool can land whoever their number one target is at that end of the pitch.
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