Liverpool have once again pushed back at rumours they are interested in signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes.
Nunes has been continually linked with a move to Anfield throughout the summer and the reports were lent some extra weight after events at the weekend. Thiago Alcantara limped out of Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Fulham on Saturday and has since been ruled out for around six weeks, handing Jurgen Klopp a problem.
Nunes is a highly-rated 23-year-old central midfielder who would appear to fit the bill for what Liverpool require. He has a £51million release clause in his Sporting contract and has also been linked with Wolves this summer.
Yet, it seems Thiago’s injury has not changed Liverpool’s stance. The Athletic says the Reds are not interested in Nunes. They plan on sitting tight for the remainder of the summer transfer window before pursuing targets next summer, with Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham among those on the radar.
That does tally with what Klopp said after the Fulham game when asked if Thiago’s injury could prompt the club to dip into the transfer market. "I know what will now come up, it's clear,” he began. “We said we don't need a midfielder because we have enough – and we actually have enough, but the problem now is we get punished for something that is not our responsibility really because things like this can happen.”
He went on to list the various other injuries his midfield group are currently burdened with after Thiago joined Curtis Jones, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the sidelines.
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"Nobody could imagine that Curtis gets the thing he gets; it is nothing serious but he is a young boy and it is a kind of stress reaction,” he said. “Bodies are like this. Naby is only ill and he will now be back definitely next week again. Oxlade happened early and now with Thiago that is, of course, not good and we will see.
"Look, a transfer must make sense now and in the long term; we have midfielders, we have still enough midfielders. It is not that we lack midfielders, but it's just some of them are injured. This is not a good situation, I don't like it at all, but we have to see how we react on that – but for sure not panicking."
As Klopp intimated, Liverpool are expecting to welcome Keita back into the squad for Monday’s game against Crystal Palace. But Thiago, Jones and Oxlade-Chamberlain are longer-term problems, meaning Keita, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho are Klopp’s main options in midfield.
Elliott came off the bench to replace Thiago at Craven Cottage and signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool on Thursday to underline his status in the squad. The 19-year-old missed most of last season through injury but now looks set to play a major role for Liverpool.
