Dominik Szoboszlai had completed his move from Leipzig to Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s midfield overhaul gathers pace. And the 22 year old Hungarian will wear the number eight shirt made famous by Reds Legend Steven Gerrard.
The Premier League transfer market is as lively as ever with some pretty chunky deals already over the line. Kai Havertz to Arsenal and Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea have been the biggest stories so far, and there are plenty more bubbling. And with Szoboszlai arriving at Anfield this weekend the focus has turned to the Northwest, where Manchester United are active in the market too as the big teams prepare for pre-season.
The Premier League 2023 news on Sunday was dominated by the transfer of Szoboszlai from Red Bull Leipzig to the Reds of Merseyside in a £60m deal with a five year contract, and it’s another marquee signing for Klopp after he secured the services of World Cup winner Alexis MacAllister at the start of the window. The Liverpool boss disrupted his family holiday to speak to Szoboszlai and he successfully beat off competition from Newcastle United as the player completed his medical over the weekend.
Once Szoboszlai had spoken to his new boss he had no hesitation, and Liverpool triggered the player’s £60m release clause on Friday. The new recruit is a multi-functional midfielder who can play in a number of roles, but he revels in a more advanced role where he has scored 12 goals in 62 games for Leipzig and seven in 32 games for his country. Liverpool briefly considered making a move for Mason Mount, but they see their new man as a more flexible option with greater potential, so Manchester United have been left alone to continue their own midfield evolution.
Tchouameni to Old Trafford?
The Red Devils have agreed a deal to bring Mount to the Theatre of Dreams at a cost on £55m on a five year contract as the 24 year old is set to become’s Erik Ten Hag’s first signing of the summer. And the Dutch boss is determined to add further numbers to strengthen in midfield. Old Trafford negotiators are due to fly to Madrid to speak to the representatives of Los Blancos’ defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni who is due to leave the Spanish capital in the summer, just one year after his arrival from Monaco in an eye watering £80m switch.
The France star is keen to leave Spain and has been impressed by United’s ‘special willingness to welcome him into their ranks’ and if he does make the move he will join another former Real Madrid star Casemiro, who made the same switch in summer 2022.
Ironically, Tchouameni was signed by Real Madrid as a natural replacement for Casemiro, but the player most likely to make way in Manchester is Fred. The 30 year old Brazil star has blown hot and cold during his five years with the Red Devils and Fulham, who have recently announced SBOTOP as their principal partners, are at the front of the queue to sign Fred.
Sky Blues home in on Gvardiol
Over on the Blue side of Manchester the 2023 treble winners look set to smash the transfer record for a defender as they inch closer to the signing of Red Bull Leipzig centre back Josko Gvardiol in a £86m deal. The Croatian star caught the eye at the World Cup in Qatar with a series of commanding performances and he has been a powerful figure at the heart of the Leipzig defence.
At 21 years of age Gvardiol looks set to become one of the star defenders of the next decade and he is sure to pick up medals if he makes the move for the Etihad. The pre- season Premier League 2023 betting odds back the Sky Blues to make it four titles in a row and Pep Guardiola’s side will start as favourites in the Champions League and the FA Cup too. The deal is expected to go through this week with Gvardiol’s people insisting he wants to move to Manchester and centre back is a position that Guardiola has prioritised. The fee makes it more than the £85m Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019, which, in turn eclipsed the amount changing hands when Virgil Van Dijk moved to Liverpool.
I’m sure Maguire will be a little relieved when he loses the tag of the ‘world’s most expensive defender’ as his stay at Old Trafford has been rather uncomfortable at times. I think United were impressed by his performances at the 2018 World Cup but his highlights tended to be in attack where he made some surging runs and towering headers. The Red Devils wanted a defender and Maguire has become renowned more for his errors than his defensive capability, notably in the club’s 3-0 defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League.
The 30 year old made only 16 appearances last season and is way behind Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the pecking order, and manager Ten Hag says he has a decision to make.
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