The truth behind latest claims of Liverpool’s €65 million bid for Alisson

Reports in Italy on Thursday morning claiming that Liverpool were preparing to bid €65 million for Roma goalkeeper Alisson have been quickly refuted.

Alisson has been a target for the Reds since the beginning of 2018, as confusion reigns over the future of the Reds’ No. 1 position.

Loris Karius took over from Simon Mignolet on the turn of the year, but his nightmare in the Champions League final, and an error in Tuesday’s 3-2 win at Tranmere, have sparked calls for a replacement.

The Brazilian has been Jurgen Klopp‘s priority target as he seeks reinforcement between the sticks, and Gazzetta dello Sport have claimed an offer of up to €65 million is imminent.

This deal would be worth around £53 million with £4.4 million in add-ons, which just falls short of Roma’s £62 million valuation, while Alisson would be handed a five-year, £100,000-a-week contract.

However, the Mirror‘s David Maddock has moved quickly to quash speculation, taking to Twitter to insist there has been “no bid” and “no contact at all with player or club”:

Widespread reports in Italy on €65m Liverpool bid for Alisson…completely wrong (unfortunately). NO bid from @LFC, no contact at all with player or club. No plans to bid at this stage either. Was some interest earlier in window, but cooled and not revived. #LFC

— David Maddock (@MaddockMirror) July 12, 2018

This is not unexpected, given how soon after Karius’ latest mistake the reports emerged, and the questionable reliability of Gazzetta dello Sport itself.

Speaking after Liverpool’s win at Prenton Park, Klopp moved to defend his compatriot, saying “mistakes will happen. I don’t like it, you don’t like it, he doesn’t like it but they do happen.”

“So let’s carry on and make the best of all these situations to learn from it,” he added.

This may contrast with his private stance, and it is likely the manager had stronger words for Karius behind closed doors, with Danny Ward potentially benefiting after a promising first half.

But, as Maddock adds, unfortunately it seems that any proposed move for Alisson is a distant fantasy.