With all of the objectively class football out of the way, fans can now go back to excruciating weeks of transfer gossip/bullshit. For Liverpool fans, this will mean weeks of searching every half decent goalkeeper in world football as they try to find a link, however tenuous, to their beloved Reds.
One player that has been heavily linked with the club is Roma goalkeeper Alisson Becker, and reports are claiming that Jurgen Klopp is set to go head to head with newly installed Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri in order to secure the 25-year-old's signature.
Alisson could potentially replace Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge, the Belgian is in the last 12 months of his contract and has been made no secret that he wishes to move to Spain in order to be closer to his children. Courtois has revealed that he will sit down with his agent in the coming days in order to sort out his future:
In this World Cup, I have ignored all the speculation, all the rumours. But now, in the next few days, I will have a chat with my agent and see what Chelsea told him, and then we will talk. But I feel happy at Chelsea, it’s not that I necessarily want to leave.
Sky Sports Italia journalist Angelo Mangiante has stated that Alisson Becker's agent is still in talks with Chelsea and Liverpool over a deal for the Brazil number one, but that Liverpool are willing to offer more to secure the transfer.
#Alisson'agent is still in talks with #CFC and #LFC #Liverpool is going to offer more than #Chelsea but for #Sarri Alisson is the best goalkeeper to replace #Courtois
Talks ongoing (€70m deal from #AsRoma)This is how the Blues could line up in Sarri's revolution. @SkySport pic.twitter.com/ljdTavKEUP
— Angelo Mangiante (@angelomangiante) July 16, 2018
Roma sporting director Monchi has not ruled the possibility of the player leaving Italy: “He has the same chance of staying as all the other players we have not received any offers for. If one arrives, we will study it and make a decision.”
Meanwhile, fresh from winning the World Cup, Nabil Fekir is believed to be on Liverpool's radar again. The Lyon playmaker all but signed for the Reds before the World Cup began, but the transfer was scuppered after Liverpool tried to renegotiate the deal following the player's medical.
One man who seems to think the transfer will go through is Martin Tyler. While commentating on the World Cup final for Australian television, the commentator seemed to confirm that Fekir will make the move to Merseyside:
The reason Fekir hasn't moved already from Lyon to Liverpool is the structuring of the deal. Liverpool a bit suspicious about a problem that surfaced in a medical. They will take him, but payments will have to be in stages.
Probably just speculation from Tyler, but with Lyon president Jean Michel-Aulas confirming that the 24-year-old could still join the Premier League side it looks like the player is there for the taking should some of the financial kinks in the deal be ironed out:
It seems to me that Liverpool could come back in. That's what I've read in the press, but I've not been told anything.
His transfer failed in June, but he hasn't been affected by it. He is focused on the World Cup, and he still has his heart in Lyon.
Nabil is much closer to Lyon today than he was when we talked to Liverpool. Maybe he will go to Liverpool, or another club, but if he stays at Lyon, it will be a great year for him and for us.
