Liverpool are reportedly already in advanced talks over completing the transfer of Sevilla defender Loic Bade this January in a deal worth €25million.
Sevilla had been keen to raise around €30m from the sale of Bade, with the talented young Frenchman also attracting interest from Bayern Munich but now looking set to make the move to Anfield for €25m, according to Spanish outlet Todo Fichajes.
It remains to be seen if this big claim will be backed up by other outlets soon, but this is a story that has been gathering pace recently, while it also surely makes sense for Liverpool to bring in a player like Bade in defence as Virgil van Dijk is not far away now from being able to negotiate a free transfer for next season.
Sources recently told CaughtOffside that Bade was one of the names on Liverpool’s radar in defence, along with Goncalo Inacio of Sporting Lisbon, and it may be that things have ended up accelerating with the highly-rated 24-year-old.
Loic Bade Liverpool transfer looks ‘well advanced’
The report from Todo Fichajes suggests everything is now ‘well advanced’ for Bade to join Liverpool in January, and Reds fans will surely be delighted to see their club already making progress on strengthening this squad in the winter after what ended up being a bit of a quiet summer.
Federico Chiesa joined from Juventus late on, but won’t necessarily be a regular starter for Arne Slot’s side, so further reinforcements could be useful, especially as there’s seemingly still no sign of an imminent contract renewal with Van Dijk.
Bade has impressed during his time in La Liga and looks like he could be a smart signing for LFC in the long run, as they can’t rely on the ageing Van Dijk forever anyway, with the Dutchman perhaps likely to play less often even if he does continue at Anfield.