da bet nacional： Liverpool have earmarked Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone for transfer this summer, with reliable reports that a concrete proposal could be forthcoming…
What's the latest on Manu Kone to Liverpool?
da betcris： That's according to Fabrizio Romano, who states that interest is ramping up in the Frenchman following discussions between the Reds and the player's entourage this week.
Gladbach demand €35/40m (£30/34m) for his signature, but 'are prepared to let him leave for that fee' with just two years left on his current deal.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke are focussing on tying up a deal for Brighton & Hove Albion ace Alexis Mac Allister, with everything pointing toward a satisfying conclusion for that transfer, ostensibly shifting the onus on Kone afterwards.
How good is Manu Kone?
James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all departing from Anfield upon the culmination of their contracts this summer; captain Jordan Henderson is 32-years-old, as is the injury-stricken Thiago Alcantara.
There is work to be done on the transfer front to rekindle the verve on Merseyside, but completing a swoop for Kone would only serve to steady the ship and set course for prominence once again.
Liverpool need superlative additions, and while West Ham United's Declan Rice is one of the most highly-sought midfielders in Europe, his signature is believed to require at least £100m to prise him away from east London.
Kone, praised as a "powerhouse" by one member of the Football Khanage team, could very well blossom into one of the Premier League's foremost central cogs at Liverpool.
The 22-year-old is available for a third of the price of Rice and could assume the role that the 24-year-old would fill if he joined Klopp's ranks, with the Reds indeed among the suitors for the Hammers' sturdy midfield anchor.
Once described as a "one-man army" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Kone succeeded with 87% of his passes in the Bundesliga this season, also averaging 2.5 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 0.7 key passes, as per Sofascore.
Also ranking among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons, the top 19% for blocks, the top 22% for progressive carries and the top 23% for tackles per 90, his dynamism and energy is clearly evidenced.
Such metrics level up nicely next to Rice's own seasonal performance, with the 24-year-old ranking among the top 14% of positional peers for progressive carries, the top 6% for interceptions and the top 17% for blocks per 90, also completing 88% of his passes and averaging 2.1 tackles per game in the Premier League.
While Rice is "world-class" – as lauded by West Ham's former head of academy recruitment David Hunt – Kone could yet emerge as a first-rate centre-midfielder himself, and under Klopp's sagely tutelage at Anfield, the full scope of his potential might just be realised.