In signing Alexis Mac Allister this week, Liverpool has made the ideal start to its summer rebuild.
The Argentine has put pen to paper on a five-year deal, and could well prove to be the bargain of the transfer window, with BBC Sport among those reporting a fee of just $44m (£35m/€41m).
But the work is far from done for the Reds. Jürgen Klopp still needs to make a number of signings if the club is to rectify the mistakes of the past 12 months, and get itself back challenging for silverware next season.
Liverpool and FSG have made a habit over the years of getting their business done early each summer, and this year looks to be no different. Just days after Mac Allister was confirmed, the Reds look as though they could be nearing a second new addition.
Khéphren Thuram is a name that will be very familiar to fans by now. The 22-year-old’s links with a move to Liverpool have seemingly grown stronger and stronger by the day, and reports in France suggest the club is getting closer to a deal.
report that talks are continuing between Liverpool and Thuram as they look to come to an agreement over personal terms.
Although Nice has shown little interest in letting its young star go, Thuram could help push through a move should he and the Reds reach an agreement, something which is reportedly getting ‘closer’.
The addition of Thuram would see Liverpool gain another much-needed midfielder, which may free it up to target a new defender — and, according to Christian Falk, there could already be an option in the pipeline.
The Bild journalist claims, via his Caught Offside column, that Liverpool is speaking to Benjamin Pavard’s agents after the defender told Bayern Munich he wants to leave the club. Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg meanwhile claimed the defender will be allowed to leave Bayern, with the Bundesliga champion demanding a fee between $32m (£26m/€30m) and $43m (£34m/€40m).
Pavard’s addition would certainly make things interesting next season, and it would be intriguing to see how he would fit into Klopp’s plans.
Indeed, the 27-year-old’s signing could well dictate what the next step transfer-wise is. With Pavard in the side as a right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold could very well take up a permanent role in midfield, something which seems like a natural progression after his outstanding performances during the final run-in this season.
In that case, a return to the usual 4-3-3 Klopp has generally favored during his tenure would seem to be a viable option, with Thuram, Alexander-Arnold and Mac Allister giving a fresh new look to the engine room. But even if that proved to be the case, or if Klopp chooses to stick to his 3-2-5 system and play Pavard as a center-back, the Liverpool boss will almost certainly need to add another midfielder to his ranks.
