Liverpool
Tottenham In Battle With Liverpool To Sign £30m Serie A Attacker
Tottenham have joined Liverpool in the race to sign £30m-rated Lazio attacker Keita Balde this summer but the player may hold out for a move to Juventus
Managers are now pressing ahead with their plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Tottenham and Liverpool are linked with Keita Balde….
Tottenham have joined Liverpool in the race to sign £30m-rated Lazio attacker Keita Balde this summer but the player may hold out for a move to Juventus, according to the Mirror.
Balde was the product of Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy before joining Lazio in 2011 and has now established himself in the first team set-up having made his debut in 2013.
The 22-year-old has just come off the back of his most product ever professional campaign after scoring 16 goals and setting-up a further 5 for his team mates in just 21 Serie A starts.
His form has caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp with ESPN reporting earlier this month that Liverpool were ready to formalise their interest in Balde having scouted the forward for several years.
Klopp is looking to strengthen his squad as he prepares to lead Liverpool back in to the Champions League and Balde is capable of playing anywhere across the attacking positions so he’d provide strong competition for the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane.
However, it looks like the Reds will face fresh competitions as the Mirror claim that Tottenham have now joined the chase to sign Balde after Mauricio Pochettino added him to his wish-list this summer.
The Spurs boss needs to add to his attacking options if the north Londoners are to compete domestically and in Europe next season and Balde’s versatility would be a useful asset for Pochettino.
The bad news for Liverpool and Tottenham is that the newspaper says Balde is likely to snub any advances from England right now as he’s holding out for a dream move to Juventus.
So far the Italian champions are yet to make any formal move for the Senegal international and if that remains the case over the coming weeks then Balde may decide to look at other options.
The Mirror claim that Lazio have so far knocked back any approaches for Balde from Liverpool and other interested clubs but they may be forced to cash-in eventually as he’s approaching the final year of his contract and is refusing to sign an extension.
It’s unlikely Lazio will force him to see-out the remaining year but the report indicates that the Serie A giants are still demanding £30m for Balde’s services this summer, despite his contract situation.
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We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming weeks but Balde is a hugely exciting talent so I think he’d be an excellent long-term signing if either Liverpool or Spurs could win the race for his signature.
