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Liverpool ‘super happy’ with transfer business in midfield

It’s a big week ahead for Liverpool as they host Manchester City at Anfield this weekend with a real chance to make a statement and gain an advantage over City in this season’s title race, and it’s been quite an achievement for Jurgen Klopp in what we now know will be his final season in charge.

Remember – Klopp had to completely rebuild his midfield this season as five players – Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner – all left the club.

Four new transfers came in, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all joining and looking now like fine business by Liverpool.

My understanding is that Liverpool are super happy with how they handled this important phase of recruitment. Not just now, but already in September Liverpool felt they did an excellent job. Mac Allister in particular is considered an incredible signing, a bargain considering conditions of the deal.

And it’s the same with all the other midfielders who joined, especially Endo, who was not the biggest name but who has surprised a few people here in England, and they’re also convinced that Gravenberch’s future will be at the very top level as he bounces back from a difficult spell at Bayern Munich.

Erling Haaland plays down transfer talk

Erling Haaland has shut down transfer speculation

Erling Haaland spoke about his future in yesterday’s press conference for Manchester City. He started by saying how happy he is at the club, with the manager, the directors, the board – he’s very happy with the people he’s surrounded by at Manchester City.

But then he added one sentence – saying to the reporters that they can write about what he’s said, but to be aware that he’s already said it before. He’s very happy at Manchester City and I think that line is quite clear – he’s being honest, and what he’s saying is the reality.

Speaking to sources, it’s clear he can’t come to a press conference and guarantee that he’s going to play for Manchester City for the rest of his career, but at the moment Haaland is very happy at the club. He has always enjoyed the atmosphere with his teammates, with Pep Guardiola – in the future, we never know, but at the moment there is nothing going on in terms of discussions or negotiations with any other clubs.

PSG are not telling Luis Enrique to sub Kylian Mbappe

We know Kylian Mbappe will be part of the transfer market in the next days and months, but many of you have been asking me about Luis Enrique deciding to sub his star player and if it’s because of this Real Madrid story.

From what I’m told, however, no one at PSG has told Enrique that he has to sub Mbappe or that they don’t want him to pay – this is not a message coming from higher up at the club. No one is telling Enrique not to play Mbappe because he’s going to Real Madrid, this is simply not the situation.

But, Enrique himself wants to try things, especially in Ligue 1, where they can feel confident about winning the title. The manager wants to test things ahead of next season and see how they cope without Mbappe – because of course everyone knows that the France international will be leaving and that he’s in very advanced talks with Real Madrid.

Casemiro out, Joao Neves in at Manchester United?

There is still interest from Saudi in Manchester United midfielder Casemiro. It’s nothing advanced, but the interest is still there after they also showed an interest last summer. Then in October/November, there were some calls to intermediaries to understand the situation, but never directly to Manchester United.

Let’s see what Man United will decide with Casemiro in the next months. At the moment the player is still fully committed and focused on United, but the interest is still there, so let’s see if Saudi clubs will return, and maybe make a proposal for Casemiro.

So far, there was never any official contact or offer, but Casemiro’s situation looks like it could be one to watch in the summer because the interest from Saudi is still there.

In terms of possible midfield signings coming in for United, the race remains open for Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves, who has been scouted by the Red Devils, and also by Manchester City.

Benfica will insist on the release clause of €120m being triggered, so it’s not an easy deal, but the interest from Premier League clubs is there in terms of scouting. So far, no club has approached Benfica to start a negotiation yet, so it remains absolutely open.

Latest on transfer ins and outs at Bayern, plus Xabi Alonso speculation

There continues to be speculation about Joshua Kimmich’s future at Bayern, with Manchester City one of the names being mentioned as suitors for him, but what I’m told is that Bayern, with new director Max Eberl, will try to extend his contract and discuss the future project with Kimmich. The new manager choice for Bayern will also be crucial to understand what he wants to do.

We know Xabi Alonso is one of the names appreciated by Bayern, but how is all the speculation about the manager affecting his current club Bayer Leverkusen? Of course they are not happy with speculation, but it’s also part of the game. I can guarantee that Bayer and Xabi himself are 100% focused on this season, to make something historical, and at the moment we can see it’s not having a damaging effect on their form, which remains outstanding. And remember, nothing is done yet with Alonso and any other club precisely because Leverkusen are focused on winning titles, and it’s the same for Alonso.

One final point on Bayern – Alphonso Davies remains a target for Real Madrid as long as the price is right. But what about potential replacements for Bayern at left-back?

Bayern have been monitoring Theo Hernandez for years, but at the moment they haven’t made contact with AC Milan or with his agents. So nothing is really concrete yet and we should respect Milan on this one; Hernandez is a crucial player for them, and a transfer would cost really big big money, probably a record fee for a left-back in case they want to try for him. This is not something that would be ‘easy’ at all.

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