Juventus may reportedly have an early edge over Liverpool in the transfer race for Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners this summer.
The Netherlands international could be on the move this summer after impressing during his time in Serie A, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be staying in Italy or perhaps making the move to England.
For the time being, a report from Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, as cited and translated by Sport Witness, states that Juventus are eager to make Koopmeiners someone they’re going to build their project around.
The report suggests that Juve also have players they’d be willing to include in any deal for Koopmeiners in order to bring his €60million asking price down, such as Dean Huijsen and Matias Soule.
Koopmeiners transfer: Too many midfielders for Liverpool?
The report suggests that the 26-year-old might not be as important a player at LFC, and it’s easy to see why after they spent so much money on rebuilding their entire midfield last summer.
Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all joined the Reds, following the exits of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner.
While there might be a case for saying that there could be room for one more signing in that position as Thiago Alcantara is nearing the end of his contract, it probably makes sense from Koopmeiners’ point of view to go with Juventus instead.
Of course, nothing is done yet, so this could be one to watch in the weeks and months ahead, but if it is to be a race between the Merseysiders and the Turin outfit then the player would probably do well to prioritise playing more often, whilst also enjoying the benefit of continuing in a league he knows he can perform well in.