Mohamed Salah issue to pull off transfer coup as Liverpool must overcome $25m ‘Man United tax’

 Liverpool will face at least two problems with a transfer they “would” like to make, with Manchester United being an example of a difficulty Mohamed Salah could exacerbate.

When Levi Colwill returns to Chelsea following his European Under-21 Championship success with England, Liverpool will be following developments closely.

When new manager Mauricio Pochettino assures him he will be a key figure at Stamford Bridge, journalist Neil Jones (via Empire of the Kop) says a departure can be ruled out.

But if Colwill is told he will be “fourth or fifth choice”, refuses to sign a new contract and instead asks to leave, then there could be “talk” of a departure and Liverpool “would like” to be a part of it.

But even if Colwill becomes available, it’s not necessarily the time to celebrate. As Jones points out, in the case of Mason Mount, Chelsea have already shown they are ready to engage in tough negotiation with hardened stars, so a deal ultimately looks “very difficult”.

According to The Athletic, Manchester United had originally hoped to sign Mount, who has just a year left, for around $52m. But after Chelsea rejected three separate offers, the Red Devils finally agreed a fee of up to $77m (£60m/€70m), exceeding their apparent upper limit.

Apparently some of the staff at Old Trafford felt they had to pay a “Manchester United fee” as one of the club’s biggest rivals. Given that Chelsea have managed to raise an additional $25m (£20m/€23m) on top of the original offer, this seems like a fair conclusion.

Chelsea had first demanded $90m (£70m/€82m) plus add-ons, but could still be delighted with the deal they struck for a player who would have been free to negotiate pre-contract terms with foreign clubs as soon as January.

Indeed, $77m ranks Mount joint-19th on the list of most expensive Premier League signings, level with Kai Havertz (whose lucrative move to Arsenal after three difficult seasons was another victory for the Blues), Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, Chelsea’s own Mykhailo Mudryk and Manchester City’s Rodri.

Liverpool, then, shouldn’t expect to be picking up Colwill for a favorable fee even if he hands in a transfer request. With his current contract due to run until 2025, Chelsea has the protection of an additional 12 months, and that’s not the only reason this deal could be even trickier.

“I think they’re even more determined to keep someone like Colwill because you don’t have many players like him, you don’t have many left-footed centre-backs and you don’t have many of them coming through you.” academy,” Jones says.

Furthermore, the club will be extremely reluctant to lose two of Cobham’s flagship products in one summer, especially in light of the furious backlash that could be caused by fans. In that sense, Manchester United may have made the transfer task all the more difficult for the Reds.

As another direct competitor, Liverpool would face a ‘tax’ of their own, which could be further inflated by the success of Mohamed Salah. Chelsea have already seen the Egyptian establish himself as a Premier League great at Anfield after a stormy exit from West London, and will dread the thought of a repeat.

Combined, all of these factors point towards a fee that’s wildly disproportionate to the amount of top-flight football Colwill has played (just 17 Premier League games) and may be beyond Liverpool’s reach.

There’s a ‘100 per cent’ chance that the club will add a center-back to its ranks this summer, as per David Lynch/Football Insider, but Colwill appears unrealistic, Micky van de Ven may be on the way to Spurs (via Fabrizio Romano), and there’s nothing on the Gonçalo Inácio front.

In the circumstances, Liverpool might well end up looking to another name, maybe one that isn’t in the public domain right now, to address one of the summer’s most pressing transfer needs.

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5 things noticed on day two of pre-season – as 12 youngsters join  training

Liverpool were greeted by typical English summer rainy weather, a warm welcome to the training grounds for senior and academy members.

After Saturday’s practice, Jurgen Klopp’s side enjoyed a day off on Sunday before returning to the AXA training center for the first day’s work with the ball.

On the first day of pre-season, only eight senior members returned from their summer break, with the rest following on Tuesday.

After the tests were over, they were joined by several young players from the academy, who made their way to the outside courts amidst a crowd of spectators.

Here are five things we noticed on day two of pre-season. Injected youth

After returning to the academy last week, a number of young players have been lined up to be added to the squad to boost Liverpool’s numbers.

They included a trio of players who made their senior debut last season in Ben Doak, Bobby Clark – with a new haircut – and Layton Stewart.

Tyler Morton returned following his loan spell at Blackburn, while Lewis Koumas, Jarell Quansah, Harvey Blair, Melkamu Frauendorf and Dominic Corness all had early opportunities to catch Klopp’s attention.

They were also joined by goalkeepers Fabian Mrozek, Marcelo Pitaluga, Vitezslav Jaros and Jakub Ojrzynski.

In the summer, a great opportunity awaits the club’s youth. The sporting director is watching

Jorg Schmadtke arrived in the summer following Julian Ward’s resignation, with him arriving initially on short notice for this summer before all parties reassess the success of the relationship.

And although he’ll have to wait a little longer to keep tabs on the club’s two new signings, he was in Kirkby to watch training and chat to other club personalities.

While things have been quiet on the transfer front lately, Liverpool’s business shouldn’t end with a new midfielder and left centre-back.

Thiago not on the pitch, but don’t worry

Thiago was in the building for the first day of pre-season but it was clear he wasn’t as involved in testing as his other team-mates.

This Is Anfield understands his absence is due to him following an individualized schedule to prepare for the new season after undergoing hip surgery after last season. His future has been the subject of much speculation lately, but Liverpool are happy the Spaniard can look forward to the remainder of his contract.

We return to the ballroom

It’s not uncommon to see players eschew ball work early in the preseason, with the initial focus on fitness, which typically includes a lot of running.

But there will be plenty of time in the coming weeks for Klopp’s side, who set to work on the new Premier League ball for 2023/24 on Monday.

It’s the same technology as last season’s football, so there shouldn’t be any noticeable difference to the players, but you can bet they’ve been delighted to

Klopp’s humor and the quintessential English summer…

Are you enjoying your time, boss? ?? pic.twitter.com/V2AlOOZHQe

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 10, 2023

It wouldn’t be England if it didn’t rain, would it?

Well, it didn’t take long for Liverpool to truly feel at home, as raincoats were needed on a gloomy and windy day in Kirkby.

Klopp was not the least bit surprised by the “English summer” and will welcome the upcoming training camp in Germany.

Liverpool players on matchday two of pre-season

Goalkeepers: Adrian, Pitaluga, Ojrzynski, Jaros, Mrozek

Defenders: Gomez, Matip, Quansah

Midfielders: Fabinho, Morton, Corness, Frauendorf

Forwards: Nunez, Doak, Clark, Stewart, Koumas, Blair