With an ageing midfield and Sadio Mané set to leave Liverpool this summer, the Merseyside club need to act in the transfer window. As such, Leeds duo Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha have been identified as key targets, according to The Sunday People.
Liverpool are believed to be willing to spend up to £120 million on the Leeds duo, who are both attracting attention from numerous clubs this summer. Raphinha, 25, and Phillips, 26, both have profiles suited to a Jürgen Klopp system.
Raphinha’s form dipped during the second half of the season, but he was very much Leeds’s talisman over the course of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign. That he managed to grab 11 goals and 3 assists in a very poor Leeds side shows the Brazilian’s quality. The former Rennes star has also been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona.
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As for Kalvin Phillips, the England EURO 2020 star has struggled with injuries this campaign. The Englishman played just over half of Leeds’s Premier League games. The fact he also missed 9 games over the course of the 2020/21 season may be a slight worry for Liverpool. Klopp’s demanding system could expose Phillips’ fragility concerning injuries further.
Phillips has been linked with a move to Manchester City this summer as well. Pep Guardiola has reportedly lined him up as a potential Fernandinho replacement. Regardless of where he ends up, it would appear Phillips will be earning himself a big move this summer.
Whether either of these deals will be completed depends on outgoings at Liverpool. The Reds’ will first look to offload the likes of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Sadio Mané before making any moves themselves. Offloading such players could bring Liverpool up to £80 million, providing further capital for their pursuit of new players such as Phillips and Raphinha.
Topics: Liverpool, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Kalvin Phillips
Robert Worthington