With the exception of Belarus, global football is currently suspended. There is talk of the Premier League eying a potential mid-June return, and with that in mind, a possible return to team training in the next week or so. Right now, there are just more questions than answers with Project Restart.
The English top flight just doesn’t seem to have the same coherence and direction as the German Bundesliga, but that is of course due to Germany handling the coronavirus crisis a lot better than most of the world. Today it was announced that the Bundesliga will return to action on May 16.
In the meantime, well you know that transfer rumors can survive anything, so of course they have been thriving amid the plague. Let’s do some Liverpool FC transfer talk.
We start with the latest on Kalidou Koulibaly, the Napoli man who is in high demand. The stellar centre half has been linked to a host of big money clubs over the past year, including most of the Premier League big six. He’s been on Manchester United’s radar for quite some time, but Liverpool have only recently jumped in the fray.
According toย 10 Sport, Liverpool are more than just in the mix, they’re now in pole position. That’s largely due to Paris Saint-Germain having thought to be dropping out of this derby, as they’ll instead focus on getting Thiago Silva a contract extension. However, a bidding war is still anticipated, as here comes new money Newcastle United.
The Magpies are on the verge of becoming nouveau riche, as a big money Saudi Arabian group is set take ownership of the club. And according to an earlier 10 Sport article, they want to offer Koulibaly a contract worth โฌ12 million-a-year โ around ยฃ200,000-a-week.
It’s not a move that would really make sense for Newcastle, as they’re already stacked at the position, but for Liverpool it’s interesting. They have at fine options to pair with Virgil van Dijk in central defense, but imagine what a pairing this would be! Whoah! Wow!
Moving on a transfer item originating in the German newspaper Bild, Werder Bremen forward Milot Rashica is attracting the interest ofย Liverpool, Southampton and RB Leipzig. And with that trio named, well you know how this all works- you go to Southampton, then Liverpool. It’s the natural order of things.
The 23-year-old Kosovo international can play on the wing, or as an attacking midfielder, and can reportedly be had for just โฌ15 million (ยฃ13m).
That’s because he has a relegation clause in his contract, and Bremen look to be destined for the drop soon.
Paul M. Banks runsย The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered withย News Now.ย Banks, the author ofย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,โ regularly contributes toย WGN TV,ย Sports Illustrated,ย Chicago Nowย andย SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer forย Chicago Tribune.com,ย onย Twitterย and hisย cat on Instagram.
