Liverpool FC, we learned on Friday, will open the season at Newcastle United on August 23rd. The Reds open their summer preseason exhibition tour, in Nashville, TN on July 25 against Sunderland. In the meantime, we have summer transfer window narratives to analyze, and in this edition, we’ll focus on Yan Diomande, Felix Nmecha and Micky van de Ven.
So let’s get after it, starting with Diomande.
Liverpool have already reportedly seen a €100 million bid for the RB Leipzig winger rejected. And the Reds have competition, in this transfer chase, from Paris Saint-Germain, according to BILD.
The report states that PSG are readying their offer for the forward, who started and went all 90 minutes for the Ivory Coast in their 1-0 win over Ecuador in their World Cup group E meeting last week.
He started in the 2-1 loss to Germany yesterday as well.
RB Leipzig aren’t really interested in selling the 19-year-old, and that’s why they are reportedly asking for more than €130m in return. If he does move this summer, it is more likely to PSG than Liverpool.
Elsewhere Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha, already wanted by Manchester United, is now being sought after by Liverpool too.
That is according to TEAMtalk, who claim that “intermediaries are actively exploring the market on behalf of the player and sounding out potential destinations should he decide that the time is right for a new challenge.”
Nmecha, who has been very impressive for Germany, thus far at the World Cup, moved to BVB from Wolfsburg in 2023. He started yesterday’s win over the Ivory Coast, and registered an assist.
And although the 25-year-old just signed a four-year extension with Dortmund in March, his club future is anything but set in stone.
It is thought that a bid of about €50 million would suffice to get transfer negiotiations going, but we’ll see.
And then finally, Tottenham Hotspur central defender Micky van de Ven could be looking for a new club.
Van de Ven, who started and played all 90 minutes in both games for the Netherlands at this World Cup, is receiving interest from both Liverpool and FC Barcelona this summer.
That is according to a report in De Telegraaf (paywall $).
Van de Ven was once clocked as being the fastest player in the Premier League, but his Spurs future is in doubt now, given
a.) all the signings in the back line they have made this summer and b.) contract extension talks with his camp going nowhere.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.