Liverpool are reportedly challenging Serie A giants Napoli and Juventus for the signing of Atalanta playmaker Teun Koopmeiners, who could be available for a reasonable €35–€40 million fee.
As per a report in Calciomercato, Atalanta and Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who has been flattered by previous links with Liverpool, is apparently being tracked by the Reds at the moment and could be the ones to watch out for in terms of a potential move to Anfield this summer.
The midfield has often been the sticking point when considering Liverpool’s inconsistency this season. Fabinho has failed to reach the heights of last season, and a plague of injuries has hindered the squad, although the situation is improving lately thanks to Trent Alexander-Arnold playing like Prime Pirlo in the inverted role. Meanwhile, Curtis Jones has also made significant progress and is now playing an integral role in the first-team.
The changes have resulted in a positive upswing in the team’s recent form. The Reds kept up the pressure on Newcastle United and Manchester United, who are level on 66 points, third and fourth, respectively, with a 3-0 win at Leicester City on Monday night in what was their seventh Premier League win in a row.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are now just one point adrift of sneaking into the top four, albeit having played a game more than both clubs. Still, with the likes of James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set to leave the building at the end of the season and Fabinho and Jordan Henderson already waning, the midfield is going to be a key area of focus in the transfer market this summer.
As such, Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister, Chelsea star Mason Mount, and Bayern Munich man Ryan Gravenberch are among a host of players who have been linked with a move to Anfield. They have rekindled their interest in a player they targeted extensively in January.
The 25-year-old is already acquainted with two players at Liverpool who play for the national team: Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo. Despite playing primarily as a defensive midfielder, Koopmeiners boasts an impressive return of eleven goals in 75 appearances for La Dea, with seven goals and three assists in 30 Serie A outings so far this season.
The Dutchman likes to play on the front foot, as indicated by his match average of 4.09 shot-creating actions, placing him among the top 6% of positional peers in Europe’s top-five leagues for this metric. At 25, the Dutch midfielder should be entering the prime of his career and has already gained significant experience at club and international levels. And his price tag of €35-40 million is not steep either.
It remains to be seen how seriously Liverpool will pursue Koopmeiners, the latest in an increasingly long line of midfielders linked with a summer move to Anfield, though his previous comments imply that he could be open to joining up with the Reds if they pursue him strongly.
