Liverpool are in talks with Juventus over a potential deal to sign £17m-rated midfielder Adrien Rabiot with either Naby Keita or Roberto Firmino heading in the opposite direction, according to reports in Italy.
Keita and Firmino will enter the final year of their Liverpool contracts from July 1, and this has led to speculation that they could head for the exit door over the coming weeks.
According to Calciomercatoweb, Juventus are said to be interested in the duo and have held talks with Liverpool over a potential swap deal involving Rabiot, whose contract also expires next summer.
In the case of Keita, it is claimed that it could be a straight swap deal with him and Rabiot valued at £17 million [€20m]. However, the Bianconeri may need to pay extra for Firmino, who is priced between £26-30m by Liverpool.
Our view:
Liverpool recently spent £67.5m to sign striker Darwin Nunez from Benfica, but they have already recouped some of the fee with the sale of Sadio Mane (£29m) to Bayern Munich.
There could be more departures during the transfer window. Both Keita and Firmino have their contracts expiring next summer, but talks are underway with the former over a new deal.
Hence, Firmino appears more likely to head for the exit door. The Brazilian suffered numerous injuries in the recent campaign and this saw Diogo Jota getting the regular nod up front.
The competition has become more stiffer for next season with the arrival of Nunez. With the World Cup around the corner, Firmino needs regular minutes and goals to have any chance of breaking into Tite’s squad.
This could urge him to move on. Juventus would offer him a perfect platform to excel as they tend to play with two strikers up front. Firmino could have the chance to partner Dusan Vlahovic regularly.
Rabiot would also be a good acquisition for Liverpool with his strong tackling and quality distribution. The Reds could be tempted to sign him as they would also gain extra funds from Firmino’s exit.
Liverpool may ideally want to offload Firmino in a straight-cash deal, but clubs could be reluctant to match their current valuation, given the 30-year-old’s injury woes over the past 12 months.
