Transfer Rumour: Liverpool head to head against Tottenham Hotspur for River Plate forward Lucas Alario
Liverpool are set to battle it out against Tottenham Hotspur for River Plate forward Lucas Alario’s signature. Alario has received rave reviews in Argentina and has turned into an important target for the Merseyside club and Spurs.
Liverpool recently let go of two of their forwards who failed to impress at the Anfield, Mario Balotelli, who failed to replicate his form during his time at Manchester City and Christian Benteke who never managed to give the same result as he did at Aston Villa.
The Reds are now left with Divock Origi, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Ings in the front line. There are doubts regarding Sturridge’s fitness while there are uncertainty regarding Origi and Ings’ capabilities to lead the front line.
The Merseysiders were linked with the 23-year-old forward earlier this year, however, the deal did not get through as River deemed Liverpool’s bid of £8.5m a very low offer. According to reports, Liverpool is set to make a new bid for the player in January.
Alario joined River Plate in June 2015 in a deal worth 2.25 million Argentine Pesos (£1.7m) from Colon, on a four-year contract. The player went on to make his debut on 11th July 2015, after replacing Fernando Cavenaghi for the final 30 minutes in 1-1 draw at home.
He made a promising start at River Plate, scoring 11 goals in 26 appearances in his debut campaign at the club. The 23-year-old got his first international call-up for Argentina in August 2016 for matches against Uruguay and Venezuela. He has continued with his form this season as well, finding the back of the net twice in three matches.
Liverpool will have to fork out £15.2m for the player due to the release clause in his contract which was extended till 2020 recently. While Inter Milan, Torino and Benfica too are keen on signing the player, the Reds are set to face stiff competition from Tottenham for securing Alario’s signature.
Like every other player, the 23-year-old too is keen on trying his hand at the Premier League. Further with Liverpool and Tottenham looking out to sign him, the youngster may just get his ‘Dream Move’.
Although, the player has reportedly stated that he is happy at River and he is surely not going to force his move out of the club. This means that clubs chasing after him will have to meet his release clause so as to start negotiations for his move out of the club.