Liverpool to battle Juventus for €60 million-rated midfielder - Reports
Liverpool have joined Juventus in the race to sign Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, according to Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Sport Witness).
The Reds oversaw a major midfield revamp last summer, with Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being shown the door. Meanwhile, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo were brought in for a combined sum of around €172 million.
It appears that Liverpool are keen to strengthen their options in midfield further this summer. As per the aforementioned source, the Premier League giants have expressed an interest in Koopmeiners of Atalanta.
Atalanta are notably under no pressure to sell the Netherlands international, who is contracted to the club until 2027. It will, therefore, take a fee in the region of €50-60 million to prise the player away from Bergamo.
Furthermore, the Reds face competition from Serie A giants Juventus for the midfielder's signature. The Bianconeri have reportedly zeroed in on the 26-year-old as their top target for the summer.
Liverpool have an advantage over Juventus, though, as they can cough up a significant amount of money in transfer fees and offer the player a lucrative contract. The Turin-based club, on the other hand, have to raise funds from elsewhere to afford him.
Meanwhile, Atalanta have no plans to lower their demands and hope for a significant offer from the Premier League.
Teun Koopmeiners's versatility suits Liverpool
Teun Koopmeiners rose through the ranks at AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands before making his senior debut in 2017. He went on to make 154 appearances across competitions for the club, scoring 43 goals and grabbing 17 assists in the process.
The Dutchman joined Atalanta from AZ Alkmaar for €14 million in 2021 and has since been a key player for the Serie A outfit. He has 26 goals and 12 assists to his name from 111 games across competitions so far, with 16 of those contributions coming this season.
Koopmeiners is primarily a central midfielder but has displayed enormous versatility during his career. He is comfortable playing as a defensive or attacking midfielder and has also operated as a central defender on several occasions. He played on the right side of the attack for Atalanta this term as well.
Liverpool notably have three senior Dutch players in their ranks in the shape of Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo. It remains to be seen if Koopmeiners will join them at Anfield in the summer.