Liverpool are reportedly planning a double swoop for Wolves duo Ruben Neves and Adama Traore, who would cost a combined £110 million.
If an exclusive report by The Sun is to be believed, Liverpool are weighing up a big-money raid on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer transfer window. The Premier League champions-in-waiting are now interested in Ruben Neves, with teammate Adama Traore already a target. Both players will cost a combined £110 million.
Neves joined Wolves from FC Porto in the summer of 2017, back when the Midlands club were still in the Championship. Over the last three years, the Portuguese international has been a mainstay in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, making over 100 appearances and forging a solid partnership with Joao Moutinho since their promotion to the Premier League.
Traore, on the other hand, is enjoying his most productive senior campaign till date, with 4 goals and 7 assists in 28 Premier League outings to show for his efforts. His progress this season has alerted Liverpool, among other clubs. And, the Reds are now keen on signing Neves as well.
Liverpool’s interest in Traore could be stemming from the fact that there is very little quality as far as attacking backups are concerned. While Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have been tearing the house down for quite some time now, only Divock Origi has made a lasting impression among the squad options.
With Xherdan Shaqiri linked with a possible summer exit, signing someone like Traore does make some sense, especially if he can challenge Salah and Mane for the wide spots. As for Neves, Liverpool do seem to be in need of a midfielder, especially one who could provide some goals from range while holding the fort in the middle of the park.
Georginio Wijnaldum does appear to be set to sign a new contract with the Merseyside club. But, Adam Lallana is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season as a free agent, while the future of Naby Keita is highly uncertain. Sandro Tonali had been a target for the Reds, but Inter Milan and Juventus are reportedly the main contenders to sign the young Italian midfielder.
As a result, Neves appears to be a viable target for Liverpool. The caveat, though, is the valuations that have been mentioned. The Sun claim that Neves will have a £50 million price tag, while Traore will cost around £60 million, making the double raid a £110 million project.
However, it is believed that Liverpool’s finances have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which makes the claims of the double move somewhat suspect. Having said that, the report suggests that Liverpool are hoping to fund the £110 million swoop by making a spate of sales including Origi, Shaqiri, Dejan Lovren, Harry Wilson and Marko Grujic.
What now remains to be seen is if Liverpool have the finances to secure the services of Neves and Traore to boost their squad considerably. If not, they will have to look for economical options to add to Jurgen Klopp’s options instead.
