Premier League side ready to sell Liverpool and Tottenham target in January - Reports
Bournemouth could reportedly sell Lloyd Kelly in the January transfer window, with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool interested in the defender.
Kelly's contract with the Cherries expires next summer, which means he will be available as a free agent next summer. As per Football Insider, if Bournemouth are unable to convince the defender to sign a new deal, they could sell him for a cut-price deal in January.
Liverpool and Tottenham are interested in signing the England U21 international and could look to sign him in January. Kelly would be open to negotiating a move with foreign clubs after January 1, but the two aforementioned clubs will hope to keep him in England.
The Reds had an underwhelming 2022-23 season, finishing fifth in the Premier League, conceding 47 goals. However, they didn't make any defensive reinforcement this summer, focusing on their midfield instead.
Tottenham, meanwhile, brought in Micky Van de Ven from Wolfsburg after conceding 63 league goals last season and finishing eighth. As per The Athletic, they made a £20 million bid in the summer for Kelly, but Bournemouth rejected it.
Kelly joined the Cherries from Bristol City in 2019 and has since made 119 appearances across competitions, even captaining them at times.
Graeme Souness reckons Liverpool need to sign another defender
Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness have given his thoughts on the Reds' squad for the 2023-24 season.
He reckons the defense and goalkeeper Alisson Becker are good but has doubts over the midfield. He also said that the Merseysiders need to sign a defender to cover for Joel Matip. Souness said (via The Boot Room):
“I think the defence is more than good enough, the goalkeeper is more than good enough, but the blend in the midfield is not quite right. I’d like to see them get another central defender, Matip can’t keep himself fit for a long, hard Premier League year."
Matip has had a number of small but regular injury issues since his arrival at Liverpool from FC Schalke 04 in 2016. He has made 189 appearances for the Reds across competitions and also scored 11 goals and provided four assists.
The 32-year-old started the last two games for the Reds, helping keep one clean sheet.