Could Reds’ interest in Ousmane Dembele be revived? – Liverpool FC News & Rumour Roundup

July 25, 2018
Henry Jackson

We round up the latest Liverpool news and transfer rumours on Wednesday, as Jurgen Klopp‘s side take on Man City at the MetLife Stadium.

Main Headlines

Will Dembele’s Reported Unhappiness Aid Liverpool?

Barcelona‘s nabbing of Malcom, right under the noses of Roma, has been one of the main talking points this week in the world of football.

The Brazilian winger has moved to Spain despite initially being on the verge of signing for the Serie A giants, causing plenty of controversy in the process.

Spanish radio station Cardena Cope believe the move has made Ousmane Dembele unhappy, with the Frenchman fearing for his place in Barcelona‘s team next season.

With Liverpool linked with the prodigiously gifted 21-year-old earlier in the summer, could they tempt him with a loan move away?

It would certainly be an eye-catching piece of business, albeit a slightly unlikely one, with Barca reportedly keen to keep hold of him.

Grujic Wanted by Crystal Palace

Marko Grujic‘s Reds future has been up in the air throughout the summer, with a loan move back to Cardiff City mooted.

According to the Mail, Crystal Palace have now joined the hunt for the Serbian’s signature, even though Cardiff still look favourites to get him.

The towering midfielder made 14 appearances for the Bluebirds in 2017/18, helping earn them promotion back to the Premier League.

A move to Palace would mean teaming up with former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson—would we wish that on anyone?

Alisson Could Save Reds “10-15 Points a Season”

The record-breaking signing of Alisson feels like a major piece of business by Liverpool and someone who is impressed is former favourite Steve McManaman.

Speaking to the Mail, McManaman spoke about the importance of spending big on game-changing signings and how influential Alisson could prove to be:

“Alisson is considered one of the best, so he’s worth it.

“Was Virgil van Dijk worth £75m? If you ask Liverpool fans the answer is yes and you just hope the goalkeeper is the same.

“Buffon broke the record back in the day, look how good he went on to be.

“You’re hoping this cloud over Liverpool about the goalkeepers will disappear now, he could save the team 10-15 points a season because of how good he is.’

“I think it was the key piece of the puzzle for Liverpool, we’ve been talking about the goalkeeper for many years, I think Jurgen appreciates that as well.

“Certainly after the Champions League final a lot of Liverpool fans wanted a new goalkeeper to come in. Like Van Dijk, I think it’s a big statement.”

You only have to look at how key David de Gea is for Man United to see the worth of a truly world-class goalkeeper—hopefully Alisson proves equally priceless.

Emre Can on Relationship With Jurgen Klopp

Emre Can has long been forgotten about in some quarters, following his move from Liverpool to Juventus and the signing of Fabinho.

There were claims that his relationship with Klopp was strained once he had decided to leave Anfield last season, but the German told BBC Sport that it is simply not true:

“Not a lot of managers would let you play so many times when you are in the final year of your contract.

“My relationship with Klopp was always good. He wished me all the best when I told him I was leaving.”

It is a shame Can didn’t want to be an important part of Klopp’s revolution, but Juventus was his dream move and it was always going to be hard persuading him to stay.

No Interest in Vida

Liverpool have rather bizarrely been linked with a move for Domagoj Vida all summer, with reports refusing to go away.

The Croatia international has never felt like the right fit, however, considering he is 29 and not consistently proven at the very top level.

The Liverpool Echo‘s James Pearce has quashed the rumours, saying Klopp “has no intention of signing another centre-back this summer—despite Joel Matip‘s injury setback.”

Vida would have felt like a strange purchase had a move gone through, so it is pleasing to hear it won’t be materialising.

Whether Liverpool end up light at centre-back remains to be seen, with Matip, Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez all injury prone.