Liverpool to put up ‘strong competition’ for Juventus’ Pogba replacement, with family reunion facing destruction
Nice star Khephren Thuram hunts PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte
Liverpool are firmly in the race for Nice star Khephren Thuram and could ruin Juventus’ plan to replace Paul Pogba with the 22-year-old, as per a report.
Juve are on the hunt for a new central midfielder after Pogba’s second doping test came back positive for testosterone. Pogba is now at risk of being banned for up to four years, which could end his career as he is 30 years old.
Juve have been linked with a move for Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to replace Pogba, as the Dane has become a bit-part player under new manager Ange Postecoglou. But on October 6, Juve sources began ‘denying’ their interest in Hojbjerg, leaving him stranded on the bench at Spurs.
Recent reports in Italy have named Thuram as an alternative successor to Pogba in the Bianconeri midfield. And now Calciomercato have provided their take on the situation.
They state that Thuram is the ideal profile for Juve as he is young, possesses great potential and already has experience featuring in a top-five European league.
However, Max Allegri’s side will find it tough to capture the one-cap France international due to two key factors. The first is his price tag, which Nice have set at between €25-30million (£21.6-25.9m).
Not only will Juve struggle to meet that asking price, they will also have to battle Liverpool for Thuram’s services. Calciomercato state that the Reds will provide ‘strong competition’ for Thuram as they have been admirers of him for some time now.
Liverpool were tipped to sign both Thuram and his compatriot Manu Kone, who plays for Borussia Monchengladbach, last summer as part of their midfield rebuild. Instead, Jurgen Klopp’s side followed up on the deals for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai by landing Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.
Liverpool vying with Juventus, Inter for Khephren Thuram
But it could be argued that Liverpool still need one more new midfielder in their squad so they can truly challenge the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal. This is a hole Thuram could fill.
Thuram moving to Anfield would not only ruin Juve’s plans, but it would also prevent him from completing a dream family reunion. Inter have expressed their interest in signing him, and they already have his brother Marcus Thuram on their books.
But Liverpool are poised to use some of the Premier League’s superior spending power to end both Juve and Inter’s hopes of signing Thuram.
This is not the only report which has backed Thuram to end up at Liverpool. On October 5, Tutto Juve named the Merseyside giants as the frontrunners to complete a deal with Nice.
