Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly vying for 23-year-old Portuguese international Renato Sanches, who could be sold by Lille this summer.
According to the print edition of L’Equipe, as relayed by Sport Witness, Renato Sanches is the subject of a brewing transfer battle between Arsenal and Liverpool in the ongoing summer transfer window. The 23-year-old Portuguese international could be sold by Lille this summer.
Renato Sanches has resurrected a stuttering career since ending his disastrous stint with Bayern Munich by joining Lille in the summer of 2019. Over the last two years, the player’s career has been on an upwards trajectory again and this past season, he helped Les Dogues claim a shock Ligue 1 triumph. To date, he has turned out 59 times for Lille, chipping in with 5 goals and as many assists.
At the same time, the 23-year-old has also reclaimed his place in the Portuguese national squad and was one of their better performers in an overall underwhelming UEFA Euro 2020 campaign. Sanches’ progress since joining Lille has duly been noted, with Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly among the clubs battling for his services this summer.
The interest from Arsenal makes sense, considering they have already lost the services of Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos, neither of whom is expected to return from Real Madrid. In addition, Granit Xhaka is likely to depart the Emirates this summer amid shock interest from Liverpool and Manchester City, with AS Roma tipped to be his next destination.
As a result, Arsenal have been forced to dip their toes in the transfer market for more than one central midfielder. So, even though Albert Sambi Lokonga is set to join the Gunners, Sanches is one of several others being targeted to be a second midfield reinforcement. On the other hand, Liverpool could be eyeing the 23-year-old as a long-term replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum.
The Dutch international has joined Paris Saint-Germain, leaving a spot open in Liverpool’s midfield unit. While Jurgen Klopp still has plenty of options at his disposal in Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, James Milner, Curtis Jones, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, closer inspection would reveal why the Reds want another midfielder.
That is because Milner is slowly approaching the end of his career while Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita have proven to be unreliable in the past year or so due to poor form or injuries. So, it is hardly surprising that Liverpool want to fill Wijnaldum’s void, which is why they have targeted former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka among others.
As per L’Equipe (h/t Sport Witness), both Arsenal and Liverpool are ‘very interested’ in Sanches, with the report adding that the Portuguese international could join either club. However, that is all that the French publication mentions, adding that Lille could sell high value players to balance their books. What now remains to be seen is if Arsenal or Liverpool do sign Sanches as they aim to bolster their midfield this summer.