Liverpool are firmly in contention to sign Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha with pivot Fabinho closing in on a £40m move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al Itihadd.
Is Joao Palhinha leaving Fulham?
According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Reds are 'most keen' on the Portugal international as they seek fresh faces to reassemble their midfield.
Tavolieri claims that the Cottagers are seeking in excess of £52m for the ace, with certain sources claiming that a jaw-dropping £90m might even be the requirement to prise him away from Marco Silva's squad.
Reliable source ExWHUEmployee claims that the 28-year-old wants a move to the Hammers, though it's hard to imagine he would turn his head at a move to Anfield if Jurgen Klopp decides to advance negotiations.
Is Joao Palhinha a good player?
Having lost James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to contractual conclusions last month, Klopp might not have wanted to lose such a distinguished star as Fabinho despite the Brazilian's poor performances last season, especially when partnering with captain Jordan Henderson's forthcoming and highly-publicised move to Saudi side Al Ettifaq.
While The Athletic recently posted a report summarising Liverpool's top targets, Palhinha could prove to be the ace best-placed to unlock the full capacity of this talented Liverpool team, it just remains to be seen if a reasonable fee could be negotiated for a player with four years left on his current deal.
The metrics certainly don't do the £50k-per-week gem any harm, with FBref ranking the "machine" – as he has been called by teammate Harrison Reed – among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 12% for clearances and the top 8% for aerials won per 90.
Completing a £17m transfer to London last summer, Sky Sports reporter James Weir even went as far as to say that he had been "one of the signings of the season" after playing a starring role in Fulham's tenth-placed finish after achieving promotion that term.
It would be ludicrous for Liverpool to not attempt to sign the phenom, especially considering the Anfield side's past success in raiding teams of lesser stature in the Premier League under Klopp's wing.
Of recent years, the prime example is the £41m acquisition of dynamic attacker Diogo Jota from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020, with Palhinha's compatriot harvesting 58 direct contributions from 117 matches since his arrival, winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
The 26-year-old has been hailed as a "pressing monster" by Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders and was instrumental in the side's vital late-season purple patch last term, scoring seven goals across the last eight league encounters.
With the Portuguese star making the successful leap to a side capable of challenging for major honours with regularity, perhaps Palhinha can join his countryman and make a marked improvement on the Merseyside club's central midfield.
Liverpool must now act in order to get the Anfield masses cheering again, and with Palhinha's signing, the perfect foundation for Klopp's new-look midfield might just be installed.
