One Liverpool player is reportedly been lined up for a prospective summer swoop by a fellow Premier League club.
By the end of the current transfer window, Arne Slot’s defensive options could look markedly different from what he had last season. There’s already been a changing of the guard at right-back, with Jeremie Frimpong immediately replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah have also been linked with prospective summer exits, while (according to Fabrizio Romano) Atletico Madrid are interested in Andy Robertson, whose place at left-back could be filled by the incoming Milos Kerkez.
Another Liverpool defender who appears to have interest from elsewhere is Kostas Tsimikas, and ex-Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown – who remains well-connected within the game – expects one of our current left-backs to move on in the summer.
Nottingham Forest reportedly interested in Tsimikas
He told Football Insider: “At least one of Robertson or Tsimikas will leave Liverpool. They don’t want to have three left-backs on the books with Kerkez coming in.
“Tsimikas has done well when he’s come into the Liverpool side and he’s got a few suitors. Nottingham Forest have done their due diligence on him and now they have to decide whether he’s the one they want to take a chance on.
“They’ve looked into his character and his ability to see if he would fit in. Nuno wants to bring in a natural left-back and of course he fits that bill. He’s not the only one they’ve been looking at, though, so we’ll see.”
Liverpool likely to sell one left-back this summer, but which one?
It makes sense for Liverpool to allow one left-back to leave this summer, but sanctioning an exit for both Robertson and Tsimikas would be risky.
Until the sudden emergence of Atletico as serious pursuers of the long-serving Scot, it had seemed likely that the Greece international would move on, having never been able to truly displace his positional colleague in his five years at Anfield so far.
Football Insider have cited a valuation of £15m for the 29-year-old, and if the Reds were to sell him for that amount, it’d enable them to make a small profit on a player who cost just under £12m from Olympiakos in 2020.
All things being equal, Tsimikas would – with the greatest of respect – appear to be the preferable option to sell if Liverpool were to part with one of their senior left-backs this summer, having consistenly been an understudy to Robertson.
However, if Atletico were to wrap up a deal for the latter quite quickly, that could significantly alter FSG’s stance on our number 21, who’d then be vying with Kerkez for a starting berth.
In terms of the question as to which of the two left-backs will depart, it could come down to timing and a possible shift in circumstances.
