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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

Liverpool transfer round-up: Jurgen Klopp's audacious £77m bid after two Saudi exits

Liverpool will continue to be active in the transfer market, despite the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

The Reds said goodbye to first-team favourites Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner at the end of June and need to find long-term replacements. Another midfielder could be signed before the start of the new season.

Jurgen Klopp is keen to avoid a repeat of the last season, which saw Liverpool finish fifth in the Premier League and miss out on Champions League football. They also failed to go the distance in the cup competitions, bar the Community Shield.

Here are the latest transfer rumours from Merseyside...

Jurgen Klopp's summer transfer business isn't finished yet (Getty Images)

Shock Valverde deal

Liverpool are interested in signing Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, according to The Guardian. Klopp is reportedly lining up a £77million bid for the Uruguay international, 24, who has become a key member of Carlo Ancelotti's squad in recent years.

It's claimed Liverpool's interest in Valverde has arisen since Jude Bellingham joined Real rather than Liverpool. The 20-year-old midfielder recently completed a £115m switch from Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund to the Spanish capital.

Federico Valverde has become a key player at Real Madrid in recent years (Getty Images)

Who do you think Liverpool should sign this summer? Let us know in the comments below!

It seems unlikely Valverde will leave Real for Liverpool, although a midfielder could depart. The 14-time European champions now have seven midfielders in Bellingham, Valverde, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos and Aurelien Tchouameni.

Premier League clubs are aware of this and a loan deal for one of these midfielders - perhaps Tchouameni - could be on the cards. Real won't want to sell their younger stars, with Modric and Kroos coming towards the end of their respective careers.

Thiago latest

As reported in our previous transfer round-up, clubs in Saudi Arabia are interested in signing Thiago Alcantara. It's believed the 32-year-old midfielder, who has one year left on his contract, wants to stay at Anfield and has already turned down one lucrative offer.

Yet The Telegraph is now reporting that Liverpool are willing to sell Thiago this summer. The Reds are unlikely to demand a huge transfer fee for the Spaniard after his £20m bargain move from Bayern Munich three years ago, but he won't leave on a free.

Liverpool wouldn't mind getting Thiago off their wage bill. He's believed to earn around £200,000 per week, which is considerably more than new signing Szoboszlai. The Hungary international is thought to have agreed a £125,000-a-week salary.

Firmino's new club

Firmino has signed a three-year deal with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. The Brazil international, 31, left Liverpool after eight years of service when his contract expired last month. He won seven trophies at Anfield, scoring 11 goals in 362 games.

Liverpool posted a classy tribute to Firmino on their website after the news broke. They wrote: "Everybody at LFC would like to thank Roberto for his contribution and wish him all the best for the future."

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