Liverpool transfers: Khephren Thuram made available by Nice at HUGE discount
Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for the Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram last summer but walked away from the deal as the cost was proving prohibitively expensive.
The Reds were reportedly quoted €60 million by the Ligue 1 side for the French No.8 but backed out from any potential deal, instead spending their money elsewhere on their midfield rebuild.
Alexis Mac Allister was landed from Brighton, Dominik Szoboszlai came in on a high-profile deal from RB Leipzig, Wataru Endo was added as a late bargain from Stuttgart while Ryan Gravenberch’s availability at Bayern Munich proved too much for Jurgen Klopp to resist.
Each of those midfielders has had varying degrees of success with Mac Allister among the standout signings of the Premier League season but the jury admittedly remains out on the other three.
Szoboszlai admits he set the bar too high with his early performances while Endo has fared only moderately towards the end of an exacting season.
Question marks too surround the future of Ryan Gravenberch as he has failed to nail down a starting berth and could be transfer listed by the new Reds’ transfer team of Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards.
That means the club could be back in the market for a midfielder with Joao Gomes set to be revisited after a strong season for Wolves.
The likes of Carlos Baleba of Brighton and Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace have also been mentioned as potential candidates but there is another very familiar name in the frame.
Thuram, 23, is reportedly available at a vastly reduced price this summer with Nice-Matin reporting that the club would let him go for between €15 million and €20m - an unbelievable discount on his value of just 12 months ago.
Given that the midfielder is out of contract in 2025 and with little prospect of a new deal, it is thought that the Sir Jim Ratcliffe-owned club will cut their losses and take what they can get this summer instead of losing him for free.
Thuram will 'take stock' at end of season
It’s been a difficult season for Thuram who experienced boos and whistles at the hands of the club’s supporters inside the Nice home stadium, the Allianz Riviera, and he hasn't always been at his best.
However, the potential France Olympic Games nominee still started 24 Ligue 1 matches in the centre of the Nice midfield this season, scoring once.
Last week he was questioned about his future but opted to keep his cards close to his chest.
“We will see at the end of the season when we will have to take stock and discuss all that,” he told Nice Matin.
However, the writing appears on the wall for the former Monaco prospect and if he is available at that price, it might be a deal that’s hard to turn down.
Over to you Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes.