Liverpool are looking to get their Premier League title challenge back on track, and have targeted Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho as a winter recruit.
Representatives of the Merseyside outfit were in Lisbon recently to arrange the return of loanee Lazar Markovic, who has recently joined Hull City. Another issue on the agenda though was a possible move for William Carvalho, according to Portuguese publication A Bola.
The report stated that the Reds are in talks with Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho over a possible move, with the Portuguese club expecting a bid of at least €30 million.
A number of the Reds midfielders are top targets for some of the big European clubs. The likes of Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana have been linked with Barcelona and PSG, while Serie A giants Juventus are reportedly scouting their defensive midfielder Emre Can.
Jurgen Klopp may be looking to switch around his midfield, especially after the recent poor results that they’ve been getting. There is also a need for an experienced player in central midfield, and Klopp may just go for a solid defensive midfield signing like Carvalho.
William Carvalho is a 24-year-old defensive midfielder who was a key player for Portugal during their Euro 2016 triumph. He has come up through the Sporting CP youth system and has gone on to make 140 appearances for the Primiera Liga side in all competitions.
Carvalho is a non-nonsense defensive midfielder, strong in the tackle and hard to go past. Liverpool could do with someone like him in their midfield, especially if the under-performing German Emre Can leaves this winter.
However the main issue here is whether the Portuguese would fit into Jurgen Klopp’s gegenpressing system at Liverpool, which involved a high work-rate and tireless running. The Angola-born midfielder would have to up his game several notches.
The Sporting CP midfielder would be a good purchase at €30 million, and could slot in comfortably alongside Jordan Henderson in central midfield. A midfield addition is also neccessary for Liverpool this winter, and there is a high chance that this deal might just go through.
