Liverpool are reportedly interested in Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure, as Jurgen Klopp looks to continue his squad’s midfield revamp.
The Merseyside outfit have already signed Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister this summer but they have been forced into a rethink when it comes to their transfer strategy, with both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson heavily linked with moves to Saudi Arabia. Should both Fabinho and Henderson leave, they would be light in midfield and have subsequently dipped into the market for potential options.
According to The Athletic, Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure is among the midfield targets for Liverpool.
Doucoure, 23, impressed at Crystal Palace last season after moving to the Premier League from Lens last summer in a deal worth up to £26million. He made 34 league appearances in his debut Premier League campaign, registering three assists in the process.
The report adds the Mali international has emerged as a target for Liverpool and they have begun calculating the cost of the 23-year-old, who is valued at around £70m by the Eagles.
Cheick Doucoure to Liverpool—Should the Reds pay a premium for his signature?
Midfield departures have been part and parcel of Liverpool’s summer window. The Reds released Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner upon the expiry of their contracts at the end of last season, and it appears they are soon to be hit hard with the departures of club captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
Henderson is wanted by Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq, with the two clubs close to reaching an agreement. Fabinho is in talks over a move to Al-Ittihad and has missed the club’s pre-season tour of Germany as he discusses the move. That will mean midfield additions are required, with the engine room having become light.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have both come through the door so far. Now, it looks like Jurgen Klopp has set his sights on Cheick Doucoure after the defensive midfielder enjoyed a fine debut campaign at Selhurst Park.
In all honesty, Doucoure can be the perfect player to replace Fabinho at Anfield. The Mali international is a workhorse in the middle of the park, with the 23-year-old excelling in breaking up play and winning the ball. He picked up 10 yellow cards and a red card for Palace last season, which is quite an evidence of how Doucoure plays.
With both Mac Allister and Szoboszlai looking to be more creative options for Liverpool, Klopp needs a destroyer in behind them—someone to perform the role of Fabinho—and Doucoure would fit that role perfectly. At 23, the Malian is still light years away from reaching his peak and signing him would see Liverpool solve a lot of problems for the long term.
With that being said, the Reds must at least test Palace’s resolve with a cheeky bid for Doucoure.
