Liverpool have been handed a hammer blow in their bid to land Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen with Barcelona reluctant to sell up without a hefty fee coming their way, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The Spanish publication state that Jurgen Klopp’s side have been keeping a close eye on Cillessen, as the Reds continue to search for options to bolster their goalkeeping options at Anfield after Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius’ struggles.
However, Barcelona reportedly do not want to sell the shot stopper, and will only facilitate offers if they come close to triggering the Dutchman’s £52.7m release clause – a fee which will be a hammer blow to the Reds’ hopesof taking him to Merseyside.
The 29-year-old joined Barcelona from Ajax back in 2016, and has gone on to serve as Andre Ter Stegen’s number two, but has only made 21 appearances for the Catalan giants.
OPINION
That release clause could be a huge deciding factor on whether or not Liverpool attempt to sign Cillessen, who is already 29-years-old. That is an astronomical sum of money for a keeper who has not had regular meaningful football for the past two and a half years. If Liverpool are to spend big money on a keeper, they should do it on their other primary targets Alisson or Bernd Leno, who are both a lot younger and have been playing far more regularly in recent years. There is no denying Cillessen’s talent, as he has been the regular starter in goal for his national team since 2013, and has gone on to make over 40 appearances. Liverpool do need a quality experienced keep with international pedigree, such as Cillessen, but it is obvious to see that Klopp will not want to part ways with over £50million to land him, having already spent big in recent times on outfield players. The report indicates that Barcelona view Cillessen as a fruitful subject this summer, but with that sort of price tag, it seems unlikely Liverpool will be the ones splashing the cash.