One of those most frequently mentioned has been Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha. Just yesterday, German journalist Christian Falk claimed that the Reds are known to be ‘concretely interested’ in the 28-year-old.

However, Falk’s journalistic colleague Fabrizio Romano has now cooled down those reports. Writing in The Daily Briefing today, Romano claimed that there have been no talks between Palhinha and Liverpool as of yet.

“There have been lots of rumours regarding Fulham’s Joao Palhinha in recent weeks and I can honestly say that I don’t have concrete information on Liverpool being in talks to sign Palhinha yet,” says the transfer expert.

“For sure the top Premier League clubs are informed on the player’s situation at Craven Cottage but nothing has started in terms of negotiations with Joao or Fulham yet. Also, Liverpool still have to decide what areas of the pitch they want to invest in during the January transfer window.”

Romano cools Palhinha talk

This isn’t the first time Romano has had to come out and extinguish talk of Palhinha’s potential move to Liverpool recently.

The journalist did a similar thing earlier this week. On Tuesday he claimed that although there’s a ‘very good chance’ of a January move for the Portugal international, nothing is set in stone, or even close to being just yet.

As pretty much the gold standard when it comes to transfer news, Liverpool fans would be wise to take Romano’s word for it.

That will be disappointing for some, who see Palhinha as the answer to Jurgen Klopp’s defensive midfield problem. But for others, it may even be a relief.

Although it’s obvious that Palhinha is a very good player, there are question marks over his age and price-tag. Having already previously agreed a £56m deal to sell the former Sporting man to Bayern Munich [The Guardian], Fulham clearly want a big price for their No.26.

Given that his age is two numbers higher than the one he wears on his back for the Cottagers, it seems a hefty price to pay for a player who’s never been at a top club.

Consequently, we feel there may be better out there on the market. For example, Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi could be exactly what Liverpool are looking for.

From where we’re sitting, we actually don’t think the Reds will do any business at all in January. But if they do decide to move for Palhinha – or anyone else – the likelihood is that Romano will be on top of it.