Liverpool haven’t had the best of starts to 2017, and Jurgen Klopp could be given further reasons for a headache off the pitch this month too.
It was a disappointing weekend for the Reds on the pitch as they suffered a shock defeat to Swansea City at Anfield, which dealt a huge blow to their Premier League title chances.
However, the weekend was also dominated by transfer speculation, and unfortunately it had more to do with players leaving rather than coming in.
One reported Liverpool target though is Sassuolo forward Gregoire Defrel, but Klopp may come up short in that pursuit as according to Calciomercato, the striker would prefer a move to join Roma.
While that looks as though it isn’t going anywhere, the German tactician may have his hands full trying to keep his star players in the coming months, particularly if they fall short of expectations this season and see their campaign spiral.
The priority will be to bounce back in midweek with an EFL Cup win over Southampton to advance to the final, and that in itself may be inspiration enough for the team to get back on track.
However, according to The Times over the weekend, Adam Lallana is a target for Paris Saint-Germain, with the club’s director of football, Patrick Kluivert, seemingly a big admirer of the England international.
Lallana is having an impressive season this year, and having proven his worth to Klopp, the club will be desperate to keep hold of him.
Elsewhere, Juventus are still keen on Emre Can having sent scouts to watch him in action against Manchester United, as per Corriere dello Sport.
The German ace’s versatility and physicality are believed to have impressed the Bianconeri, who are looking to bolster their midfield, but again, Klopp will surely want to keep hold of him to offer quality depth in the squad moving forward.
In contrast, Sky Sports expert Guillem Balague at least delivered some positive news by insisting that he doesn’t believe that Barcelona have any immediate plans to try and sign Philippe Coutinho.
Speaking in his Q&A at the back end of last week, he doesn’t believe that the move makes sense given the attacking options already at the club and as a result, there were no further murmurs over the weekend to suggest that Liverpool’s most prized asset could be leaving the club.