Liverpool are reportedly ready to offer close to €75m to prise Marco Asensio away from Real Madrid, but Zinedine Zidane wants a player in return.
The Merseyside giants are in a brilliant position this summer as ultimately they’ll be looking to calmly choose where they believe they can improve an already excellent squad of players at Jurgen Klopp’s disposal.
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After launching a commendable Premier League title bid, they secured a major trophy in the form of the Champions League to end the season on a high, and so they’ll be looking to build on that moving forward and bring in reinforcements where necessary.
According to El Desmarque, as translated by Sport Witness, Liverpool are said to be willing to pay close to €75m for Asensio this summer, with the Spaniard capable of adding a different dynamic to their attack with his technical quality and creativity on the ball to complement the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
However, it’s added that Zidane isn’t in favour of an exit, unless Mane is included in the deal.
Given the importance of the 27-year-old to Klopp, it seems highly unlikely that will happen, and so ultimately it would appear as though Liverpool will have to switch their focus elsewhere this summer if they wish to bolster their attack.
It could be argued that following the exits of Daniel Sturridge and Alberto Moreno on free transfers this summer, a forward and a left-back will be at the top of the transfer shortlist in the coming weeks. Asensio could address one of those issues, but it’s surely not worth sacrificing Mane for if that’s the only way a deal can be made.
