Journalist Ben Jacobs doesn’t see Liverpool signing midfield target Teun Koopmeiners this month.
It’s well documented that Liverpool are in need of midfield reinforcements due to their sheer lack of squad depth and injury records of players such as Thiago, Arthur Melo and Naby Keita but as of now, nothing appears imminent.
This could likely be because Liverpool are said to be very interested in Jude Bellingham so may well wait until the summer to land the teenage sensation instead of rushing into a deal, as they did with Melo last summer.
However, many Liverpool fans may have gotten excited with links to star Koopmeiners claiming it was ‘nice to see’ he was being linked with the Reds, before he then admitted he was fully focused on playing for Atalanta.
Despite Koopmeiners’s comments on the Liverpool link, Jacobs has only handed Liverpool a ‘slim’ chance of signing him this month while speaking on The Done Deal Show.
He said: “From what I understand, the player himself had said that the link to Liverpool is ‘nice to see’, although he added that he’s 100% focused with Atalanta.
“A player can be flattered and fuel something, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s leading to something imminently.
Will Liverpool sign a new midfielder?
Yes!
No!
“So, what we know, and certainly I know from talking to sources, is that the 24-year-old has been scouted before the World Cup – and that may be with a view to an escalated winter move, but the original scouting was an option for the summer.
“So I think that the chances of getting him to Anfield are going to be relatively slim, and that’s because at the Atalanta end, they’re quite categorical both on and off-record through a variety of different sources in saying that a mid-season sale is off the table.”
TIF Thoughts on Liverpool’s interest in Koopmeiners…
Given that Liverpool went big over the summer to land Darwin Nunez and once again were very bullish in their transfer approach this month to get Cody Gakpo early on, it would be unlikely that FSG would sanction another big-money move for Koopmeiners.
Therefore, Liverpool could well use the remainder of this season to scout the Dutchman before deciding if he would indeed fit into Jurgen Klopp’s style of play and be able to improve the team for next campaign.
Liverpool could well copy what Manchester United have done this month by signing Wout Weghorst and bring in a slightly older player to add some experience and ability just until the end of the summer and try to land a better value for money signing then.