WILL TOTTENHAM’S INTEREST IN CURTIS JONES FORCE LIVERPOOL INTO A SURPRISE CONTRACT EXTENSION?
Arne Slot breaks silence on Liverpool's January plans after Conor Bradley's surgery. Plus, the truth on Curtis Jones and Spurs.
The clock’s winding down on the transfer window, and nobody’s really sure if Liverpool will make any last-minute moves after a wild summer.
There’s less than two weeks left for the higher-ups at Anfield to sign off on new players for Arne Slot’s squad. Already this month, Liverpool watched Marc Guehi head off to Manchester City, and Federico Chiesa’s future is still up in the air. Slot, though, isn’t giving much away about what the club plans to do.
“I think everyone’s on the same page about what we’re up against,” he said when someone asked if Conor Bradley’s injury might push Liverpool to bring someone in. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to do anything, but nobody’s got a different view. Still, that doesn’t guarantee anything happens.” So here’s where things stand at Anfield.
Curtis Jones catches eyes
Tottenham are apparently sniffing around Curtis Jones, if you believe the Times.
There’s been some talk about whether Jones will be happy with his minutes by the end of the season, especially since Spurs and a few other clubs would jump at the chance to sign him if he looked like he wanted to leave.
But with Spurs already bringing in Conor Gallagher, and Jones—who’s started seven of Liverpool’s last eight league games—still dreaming of making it big at Anfield, a move doesn’t seem likely right now.
Jones was pretty open about it back in December: “The big thing for me is to stay humble—I don’t want to just say, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna be captain’ or anything. But I want that. I want to be captain, and I want to stay here my whole life, like Gerrard, who’s always been my hero.”
Diomande is staying put—for now.
RB Leipzig’s sporting director, Marcel Schafer, made it clear they’re running the show when it comes to Yan Diomande. Leipzig picked him up last summer from Leganes by meeting his £17.4 million release clause, and since then, the 19-year-old winger’s been turning heads—including at Liverpool and Manchester United. Reports say he could fetch over £80 million these days.
But Leipzig’s not in any rush to sell. Asked if they’re in the “front seat” on Diomande’s future, Schafer joked, “Nobody’s even in the passenger seat. Everyone’s in the back.” He also talked about why they moved for Diomande in the first place: “We saw his numbers and knew we had to check him out—on video and in person. We were there before he’d even played 200 minutes in the league. His profile was exactly what we wanted.
“We didn’t need to have five meetings about it. It was a perfect fit. Once we started talking to Leganés, they told us outright—pay the release clause or forget it, because there was big competition. It was a lot of money considering where he was, but he was our top choice. We even ran it past Klopp and Mario Gomez—everyone said, ‘Go for it.’”
Chiesa’s future in limbo
Federico Chiesa’s chances of heading back to Juventus look pretty shaky. The club seems to have moved on to other attacking targets.
Juve are chasing Jean-Philippe Mateta and Daniel Maldini right now. They’re in talks with Crystal Palace about Mateta, and they’re also thinking about bringing Maldini, who’s at Atalanta, together with coach Luciano Spalletti.
Tuttosport says Maldini could be a more affordable option than Chiesa, which might explain the change in direction.
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”
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