Exclusive: West Ham $190m target booked for medical rejected offer and went for Liverpool  problem 

Liverpool have been informed that Piero Hincapie will cost them a ‘high price’ this summer should they wish to a deal with Bayern Leverkusen.

€70m (£59.9m) ‘and more’ was the verdict from Bundesliga transfer insider Christian Falk in his latest exclusive update with Caught offside – a considerable leap from the £35m suggested by Ben Jacobs (as relayed by Empire of the Kop) and potentially double should the fee rise in excess of £60m.

“There are many Premier League clubs interested in Piero Hincapie. Liverpool could be one of them,” the German wrote.

“I don’t think there’s enough time to make the deal, as Leverkusen don’t want to sell. If they were forced to think about it, it would have to be a high price – €70m and more.

“I don’t think it’s the right moment for Liverpool to spend this money. I think Schamdtke will know that.

“Leverkusen are very interested in a loan deal for Luke Chambers – they really want him. This could happen, and so you see there talks between Leverkusen and Jorg Schmadtke, but I think he knows it will be too difficult to get Hincapie.”

With the Merseysiders expected to pursue a fourth midfield signing, it’s difficult to imagine the club holding themselves back when it comes to bolstering a key area of the pitch to leave funds free for the Leverkusen man later in the window.

READ MORE: Christian Falk: Manchester City now told ‘no chance’ over summer transfer target

Given the limited time left in the window and the status of the player, it just doesn’t seem to tick the boxes for Jurgen Klopp and his recruitment team.

The profile the side is looking for has been made expressly clear – a left-sided (left-footed) centre-back on the younger end of the scale who is comfortable slotting into the squad as a fourth or fifth-choice option.

With minutes surely available between the left-back and left centre-back roles, one would imagine that any new signing wouldn’t be entirely starved of opportunities, though it’s fair to imagine Virgil van Dijk, for one, starting the vast majority of games in the season whilst he remains 100% fit.

liverpool.com

Liverpool set for $44m transfer reminder as Mohamed Salah can show if Jürgen Klopp missed out

Jürgen Klopp has been prioritizing his midfield department this summer, and rightly so considering that proved to be Liverpool’s biggest weakness last season, with the team finishing fifth in the Premier League table. A huge renovation job has been undertaken in the club’s engine room, with Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta all departing.

Those players have so far been replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, with Klopp nearing the end of his seismic rebuild in the middle of the park. Once his midfield department has been completely regenerated, the Reds seem likely to address their defensive line, with Joël Matip’s contract due to expire next year.

Liverpool has been interested in adding a new center-back this summer, but that need hasn’t ranked near the top of the to-do list on Merseyside. Interest in Levi Colwill was widely reported but after months of speculation, the English defender decided to stay at Chelsea, signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

READ MORE: André deadlock broken, $27m Jürgen Klopp call – Dream end to Liverpool summer with two transfers

READ MORE: Liverpool ‘agrees’ terms amid Cheick Doucouré delay as super-agent working on transfer

The Blues wonderkid has plenty of quality and potential attached to his profile, but he is also left footed. Klopp is said to have an interest in a left-footed option in defense, with Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté all right footed. In fact, the last left-footed center-back at Anfield was Ragnar Klavan.

Upon inspection of the rest of the Premier League, Klopp is competing against managers who have what he doesn’t. Pep Guardiola has new signing Joško Gvardiol and Nathan Aké at Manchester City. Mikel Arteta has two lefties in Gabriel Magalhães and Jakub Kiwior at Arsenal. Erik ten Hag has Lisandro Martínez at Manchester United after bringing him from Ajax last year, and Newcastle United has Sven Botman.

Indeed, Liverpool is scheduled to come up against the latter this weekend. Botman is a relatively new addition, having joined the Magpies from Lille just 12 months ago. The Dutchman is a physically imposing presence standing around 1.95m tall, he’s capable in possession, and he favors his left boot.

Still just 23 years old, he’s already proved to be a great capture for the Toon.

Photo by Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images

(Image: Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images)

Lille demanded around $44m (£35m/€41m) for Botman’s signature at the time, and that has since proved to be a solid investment. He appeared in all but two of Newcastle United’s 38 Premier League matches last term, having been named as a starter by Howe in 35 of them.

The Toon posted the joint-best defensive record with Botman as a fixed pillar of strength, conceding just 33 goals from 38 games, which was the same amount shipped by champions Manchester City.

The Dutch international was tipped for a move to Merseyside back in 2021, when Klopp was attempting to navigate a disastrous injury crisis in the heart of his defense. Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip all suffered season-ending injuries, which forced Liverpool to explore the market for a solution.

Klopp eventually ended up getting Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke — while also signing Ben Davies from Preston North End for a nominal fee — with Botman proceeding to remain in France for another 18 months before making the switch to Tyneside and competing in the Premier League.

As a left-sided center-back, he will come up against a certain Mohamed Salah this weekend, with Klopp set to be presented with a reminder of what might have been.

The Reds are still looking for a left-footed addition in the market as the transfer window approaches its closure at the end of the month, but if Liverpool had simply moved for Botman around two years ago, Klopp would have one less item on his to-do list right now.

Story Saved

You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.