The mid November international break is certainly the perfect time to talk some transfer rumors, as the January window will be here before you know it. Today we focus on Liverpool FC, and we begin with the idea of FC Barcelona selling a big money player to Liverpool, not the other way around like we’re used to seeing.
Ousmane Dembele moved to Barcelona for €105 million plus a reported €40 million add-ons in the summer of 2017, in a deal that drew heavy criticism at the time. Barca had just sold Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain for a world record €222 million, so the deal meant that Dembele had just became the joint-second most expensive player (in euros), with Manchester United’s Paul Pogba.
There was consensus that the Frenchman wasn’t worth that amount of money, but the Catalan club was looking to splash the cash somewhere on someone, given that they just acquired a major financial windfall from the Neymar deal.
If the Sun is to be believed, then Barca will have an opportunity to recoup most, but not all of that investment, courtesy of the Merseyside club. The London publication claims that Anfield are ready to break the bank, or at least their own club transfer fee record, and spend £85 million on the winger this January.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp knows Dembele well from their days together at Borussia Dortmund, and that ability to vouch for his character could make all the difference towards getting this deal done.
According to ESPN FC, Barca are concerned about elements of Dembele’s lifestyle, and France manager Didier Deschamps revealed that he is among the players with a habit of turning up late for training. So there are some, if not red flags, at least pink flags about him.
For now, we’ll just have to, as they say, “watch this space.” Obviously these are two clubs who have each other on speed dial, having done blockbuster business twice in recent years (Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez). Go here for the story on Liverpool’s interest in Touloue’s Jean-Clair Todibo.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Lineups.com and Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.