Chelsea are reportedly trying to hijack Liverpool’s move for Alisson and are ready to table a £65 million bid for the AS Roma goalkeeper.
According to a report by The Sun, Chelsea are set to step up their interest in signing Alisson in the summer transfer window. The Blues are set to lodge a £65 million bid to land the AS Roma goalkeeper, who is being heavily linked with a move to Liverpool.
Alisson enjoyed a stunning rise in stature last season, as he stepped out of the shadows of Wojciech Szczesny at AS Roma to establish himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. A solid club season was followed by an impressive campaign at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where Alisson was one of the top performers for Brazil.
His exploits over the last year or so haven’t gone unnoticed either, with a gamut of clubs vying for his signature. The likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool are among his big-name suitors. While the European champions have recently become onlookers in the race to sign Alisson, the battle is being contested between the two Premier League rivals.
Thibaut Courtois looks set to end his seven-year stint at Chelsea, who have been unable to tie him down to a renewal of a contract that ends next summer. The Belgian international now looks set to join Real Madrid, leaving the Blues in desperate search of a top class replacement.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have a well documented goalkeeping problem, which only subsided for six months in the second half of last season. Loris Karius’s advent during this period only seemed to be a false dawn, and the German has been self imploding since his game changing howlers in the Champions League final in May.
While Klopp initially vowed to stick by Karius, the German’s error-prone performances in Liverpool’s pre-season friendlies could have helped make the manager’s mind. Alisson has thus, been a priority for the Reds for a while now, although Chelsea are now looking to steal a march on their rivals.
Liverpool’s bid worth £62 million falls slightly short of AS Roma’s £66 million valuation, which seems to have given the Blues some late hope in their pursuit of Alisson. Chelsea have been using their Italian connections to get closer to securing his services and are now set to table a £65 million bid for the 25-year-old.
With the offer surpassing Liverpool’s latest bid, Chelsea could just end up taking the lead in the player’s pursuit. However, Liverpool still hold a major differential that could tempt Alisson to force through a move to Anfield – the availability of Champions League football.
The race to sign Alisson is definitely heating up. Liverpool still remain the favourites to sign the Brazilian goalkeeper. But, Chelsea could have a chance of swooping him away, if their bid, which is higher than the Reds’ is accepted first. An interesting few days beckon.
