{"id":1285,"date":"2018-06-28T14:50:32","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T14:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/?p=1285"},"modified":"2018-06-28T14:50:32","modified_gmt":"2018-06-28T14:50:32","slug":"liverpool-football-club-transfer-rumour-round-up-june-28th-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/liverpool-football-club-transfer-rumour-round-up-june-28th-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool Football Club Transfer Rumour Round-Up: June 28th 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The World Cup group stages are coming to a close, with some teams heading for the exit. The reality is that not many of them are all that interesting, despite the desire of some Liverpool supporters to sign the Saudi Arabia winger Salem Al-Dawsari from Villarreal. One of the things that might result in some rumours emerging over the next couple of days is the fact that Germany crashed out of the tournament earlier in the week. Aside from the rather obvious inquest that the nation is going to have to have over issues such as the manager, there could be players that catch our manager\u2019s eye who we can now negotiate over.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Salem Al-Dawsari should definitely be under consideration (thanks for the heads up <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/id7m_d?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@id7m_d<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Callum Wright (@CallumWright__) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CallumWright__\/status\/1011884396318732288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 27, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As more and more teams exit the competition the rumour mill is likely to start back up again in full force, if for no other reason than there will be less games being played. Tomorrow is the first day since events in Russia got underway that there won\u2019t be any televised games, for example. The interesting thing from Liverpool\u2019s point of view is that our transfer system seems to have changed in recent times. Nowadays it\u2019s all about the long game, with players having been scouted for years rather than months. That means that there\u2019s less chance that we\u2019ll get caught up in the idea of signing someone just because they had a good World Cup, which I\u2019m fairly certain is what happened with El Hadji Diouf.<\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_1286\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1286\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1286\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/El_Hadji_Diouf-600x392.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/El_Hadji_Diouf-600x392.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/El_Hadji_Diouf-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/El_Hadji_Diouf.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1286\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By Alasdair Middleton from Rothesay, Scotland (Diouf In DistressUploaded by Kafuffle) [<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>], <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:El_Hadji_Diouf.jpg\">via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/p><\/div>The really does beg the question, why have things stopped dead since the moment Russia kicked the first ball? An obvious answer is that some of the players that we\u2019re looking to sign are out in the former Soviet Union and there\u2019s now no rush to get them through the door as they wouldn\u2019t be able to appear in our pre-season games anyway. Xherdan Shakiri and Nabil Fekir seem like obvious examples of that, though they both have their own added complications to throw into the mix. Another answer might well be that the footballing world is pretty caught up in what\u2019s happening in the tournament, as evidenced by the fact that very few transfers are happening full-stop.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Xherdan Shaqiri is being strongly tipped to join <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a> after the World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Would he be a good signing, Reds?<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lUEbxKn82N\">https:\/\/t.co\/lUEbxKn82N<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/K1XDPnJIJy\">pic.twitter.com\/K1XDPnJIJy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LivEchoLFC\/status\/1011585013589139461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 26, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>One thing\u2019s for sure, things are going to be absolutely made once the big transfers begin to kick-off. Players that Liverpool want might be holding out to see who else is going to come in for them, just as players that are wanted by lesser teams might be keeping their fingers crossed that a team of our caliber is going to make them an offer. Everything feels a bit like it\u2019s been frozen in time, but once it defrosts it\u2019s going to go wild. The mix of the Word Cup and the transfer window closing sooner than in previous years means that some truly jaw-dropping deals might get done as time runs out. Given that they won\u2019t always be <strong>good<\/strong> deals, the Reds just need to stay strong.<\/p>\n<h2>The Runners And Riders Of The Rumour Mill<\/h2>\n<p>The main question on everyone\u2019s lips is about <strong>who<\/strong> the Reds need to stay strong for. Here\u2019s a look at this week\u2019s rumours:<\/p>\n<h3>The In<\/h3>\n<p>Liverpool have made a signing this week, but it\u2019s gone under the radar for rather obvious reasons. No, I\u2019m not talking about Naby Keita. I could write loads about him, but we did all that last summer and the excitement levels are likely to hit maximum if he runs out in Red against Chester next week. So who am I talking about?<\/p>\n<h4>Bobby Duncan<\/h4>\n<p>Let\u2019s be honest, seventeen-year-old attackers who are going to go straight into the Under 23s aren\u2019t high on anyone\u2019s list of priorities just at the moment. Even so, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/sport\/football\/football-news\/liverpool-beat-strong-competition-sign-14838034\">the Reds\u2019 signing of Bobby Duncan<\/a> is one that might just prove to be an excellent one in a few years\u2019 time. The Manchester City starlet was highly sought after this summer and Liverpool had to do battle with a number of clubs for his signature. He\u2019s actually the cousin of Steven Gerrard, so that probably helps to explain why Anfield was his chosen destination.<\/p>\n<p>The lifelong Liverpool supporter could have signed for the likes of Juventus, Monaco and Spurs, but his heart was on Merseyside and he\u2019s got his dream move. It\u2019s not just a sympathy signing by the Reds, though, as the lad\u2019s got talent. He became the first player for England at any level to score a hat-trick against Brazil and in the 2015-2016 season he notched up sixty-six goals for the Cityzens. It says something that the England Under-17s boss, Steve Cooper, continued to pick him for the national side even though he didn\u2019t have a club last season. That wasn\u2019t because he was rubbish, however. He left The Etihad because he felt his way to the first-team was blocked, but they valued him that highly that they kept hold of his registration.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Likelihood Rating: DONE DEAL<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Ins?<\/h3>\n<p>Now you know all about Bobby Duncan and hopefully won\u2019t say \u2018Who?\u2019 if he gets named in a Liverpool cup side between now and the end of the season. It\u2019s the league side that needs bolstering, though, so which players have we been linked with that could help us to do just that?<\/p>\n<h4>Marco Asensio<\/h4>\n<p>There\u2019s one name that keeps bubbling up to the surface, even though it seems preposterous upon first viewing. Marco Asensio is an extraordinarily talented attacking midfielder who made fifty-three appearances for Real Madrid last season. He\u2019s only been at the Bernabeu since the summer of 2016, so it\u2019s really difficult to envisage a world in which the Spanish giants allow him to leave for anything less than a monster fee. That monster fee is believed to be in excess of \u00a3150 million, which is the other thing that makes the entire thing seem implausible.<\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_1287\" style=\"width: 175px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1287\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1287\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Marco_Asensio.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"165\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Marco_Asensio.jpg 165w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Marco_Asensio-126x200.jpg 126w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 165px) 100vw, 165px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1287\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By \u041a\u0438\u0440\u0438\u043b\u043b \u0412\u0435\u043d\u0435\u0434\u0438\u043a\u0442\u043e\u0432 (soccer.ru) [<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0http:\/\/www.gnu.org\/copyleft\/fdl.html\">CC BY-SA 3.0GFDL<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\">CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gnu.org\/copyleft\/fdl.html\">GFDL<\/a>], <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Marco_Asensio.jpg\">via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/p><\/div>Doubtless the \u2018FSGOUT\u2019 brigade would say that that\u2019s because the owners aren\u2019t willing to put their hands into their pockets, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s that at all. J\u00fcrgen Klopp has consistently said that he\u2019s not the sort of manager that turns to the transfer market to solve all of his problems and everything he\u2019s ever said suggests that he thinks spending that sort of money, which will likely be about two-thirds of our budget, would be crazy. If the player gets injured then what do you do? What if he doesn\u2019t settle as you think he might? It\u2019s got nothing to do with the owners and everything to do with the man making the decisions. Regardless, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/sport\/football\/980459\/Real-Madrid-transfer-news-Liverpool-Marco-Asensio-gossip-allowed\">rumours persist<\/a> and so I have to mention them. I\u2019d love it, but I just don\u2019t see it happening.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Likelihood Rating: 3\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Thomas Strakosha<\/h4>\n<p>Perhaps my least favourite thing about this particular summer is the extent to which Liverpool\u2019s name is being attached to every single goalkeeper that players professional football. Soon journalists might run out of pros and just start naming people who went in goal during a five-a-side once, meaning that I might have to write about myself before the window closes. Regardless, the latest link comes in the form of Lazio\u2019s Thomas Strakosha, who is twenty-three. I think if Liverpool are going to raid Serie A for a new goalkeeper any time soon then it\u2019s likely to be AC Milan that we towards, given that the Italian giants have been banned from Europe for a year.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Thomas Strakosha to Liverpool speculation refuses to die down. Now, the Daily Star claim Liverpool have offered 35 million euro for the Lazio goalkeeper.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 LazioLand (@Lazio_Land) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Lazio_Land\/status\/1010802066627932160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 24, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Right now, though, it\u2019s Lazio that we\u2019re apparently turning to, in spite of the fact that the Lazio chairman has stuck a \u20ac40 &#8211; \u20ac50 million price tag on the club\u2019s shot-stopper. These reports are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.calciomercato.com\/en\/news\/lazio-want-e40-50m-for-liverpool-target-67982\">coming from Calcio Mercato<\/a>, which I\u2019m fairly certain is like Italy\u2019s equivalent to the Daily Star. The big problem for J\u00fcrgen Klopp, Michael Edwards and the Liverpool transfer team is that we\u2019re going to have to pay a premium for a goalkeeper, such is the extent to which everyone in football knows that we\u2019re after one. The biggest question they need to answer is not whether they\u2019re willing to pay it but who they want to pay it for.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Likelihood Rating: 2\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Outs?<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s not just arrivals that are likely over the next few weeks, with more than a few departures also almost certainly going to happen. Here\u2019s the biggest name heading for the exit this week:<\/p>\n<h4>Danny Ings<\/h4>\n<p>I genuinely feel quite sorry for Danny Ings. The forward arrived from Burnley after his contract there expired, resulting in Liverpool needing to pay the club around \u00a36.5 million; a fee that was decided by a tribunal after months of deliberating. Many people have forgotten now, but his career on Merseyside actually started quite well. He scored on his league debut when he came on for Christian Benteke against Norwich, then he scored against Everton in the Merseyside derby to ensure that we drew 1-1. Sadly, just eleven days later, he damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg and was meant to be out for the rest of the season. That was his first training session for J\u00fcrgen Klopp, a manager that many thought he\u2019d be a good fit for. He came back for the last game of the season and then damaged his right knee the following October.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">SKY SOURCES: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LFC<\/a> to allow Danny Ings to leave the club this summer. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SSN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SSN<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vca8DBbuuH\">pic.twitter.com\/vca8DBbuuH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SkySportsNews\/status\/1011585538707640321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 26, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s been fully recovered from his hellish time with injury for a good while now, but the manager has understandably chosen to favour Roberto Firmino over him in the majority of matches. That\u2019s meant that he\u2019s found himself on the sidelines most of the time and when he has come in it\u2019s been because there has been a mass rotation of players. As a result, he\u2019s been changing places with the first-team rather than playing alongside them. Is it fair to judge him when he\u2019s barely had the chance to perform alongside Sadio Man\u00e9 and Mo Salah? Probably not, to be honest. The only time he played with them he scored a goal and should\u2019ve won a penalty. Even so, he\u2019s not done enough to nail down his place and, though the Reds are keen to keep him, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/football\/44616059\">he&#8217;s decided it\u2019s time to move on<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Now that the group stages of the World Cup are over, are we likely to hear more rumours of players wanting to make a move? It\u2019s possible. Let\u2019s find out how many goalkeepers we\u2019re linked with between now and next Thursday\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Until next week\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The World Cup group stages are coming to a close, with some teams heading for the exit. The reality is that not many of them are all that interesting, despite the desire of some Liverpool supporters to sign the Saudi Arabia winger Salem Al-Dawsari from Villarreal. One of the things that might result in some rumours emerging over the next couple of days is the fact that Germany crashed out of the tournament earlier in the week. Aside from the rather obvious inquest that the nation is going to have to have over issues such as the manager, there could [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1285"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1288,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1285\/revisions\/1288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}