Rumor Mongering: Liverpool and Everton Linked with Soualiho Meite

Today is a day ending in “-y” so naturally there are reports of Liverpool Football Club getting ready to flex some financial muscle in the transfer market with the January window a mere eighty-four days away. This time, the rumors are swirling around 22-year-old Lille midfielder and former French U-17 international Soualiho Meïté. Just to get the pulse racing a little bit more over this news, Liverpool are said to face competition for Meïté’s services from their Merseyside neighbors Everton.

Also reported to be lurking are Borussia Dortmund, Schalke and West Ham United. That’s formerly-hipster-surprise-pick-but-currently-in-the-relegation-zone-and-somewhat-in-turmoil West Ham United, the same place where Andy Carroll occasionally plays football in between spells on the trainer’s table. But Borussia Dortmund and Schalke are also mentioned, and they seem like they usually know what they’re doing so there must be some grain of truth to this rumor, right?

Meïté, who typically operates as a defensive midfielder, joined Lille OSC for approximately £1.3m from Auxerre in 2013, so if there is any truth to these rumors, it’s possible that Divock Origi might have some insight to share with the powers-that-be. This season, Meïté has been on loan with Zulte Waregem in Belgium’s top flight. You may not be very familiar with Zulte Waregem so here are some quick facts: (i) they have a rainbow in their logo; (ii) their home ground is called the Regenboogstadion or Rainbow Stadium; and (iii) they are currently in first place, ahead of usual suspects Anderlecht and Club Brugge.

As for the player himself, he’s young, he’s tall, he’s represented France at various levels, and he’s made ten appearances for a first-place side. If a transfer tussle does materialize between Liverpool and Everton, the bidding is expected to start at around £6m. Sure, Liverpool may have just spent a fair bit of money on Georginio Wijnaldum, Emre Can might be on the cusp of a breakout season, and Marko Grujić has shown some early promise, but you never know when the club might ship off another midfielder to Stoke City (please don’t, Liverpool) so the more the merrier, or so we’ve been told.