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Paulo Dybala, one of the best young strikers in the game and rumoured target of half Europe’s big clubs, looks to be off the market with reports a deal to send him to Juventus for around £23M is nearly done. The fallout will include the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal having to move on to other targets. It may also mean a few Juventus players being made available as the Italian giants look to free up space and funds for Dybala.
According to the Metro, one of those Juventus players about to become available is striker Carlos Tevez, who will be sacrificed now that Dybala has been confirmed. And with Daniel Sturridge’s future in doubt and Liverpool desperately needing a striker who can hit the ground running in England, it’s hardly a shock that they’re linking the 31-year-old Argentine and former City star with an Anfield move.
At first glance, Tevez’ age would seem to rule him out as a transfer target—or at least as a target who wouldn’t be arriving on a free. Tevez, though, has shown he still has some fire to his game with Juventus this season, and he clearly has Premier League experience—with both sides of Manchester—and a knack for scoring goals, averaging around a goal every two games throughout his career.
Unlike some of the strikers Liverpool have been linked with, he also seems well suited for the way Brendan Rodgers wants Liverpool to play. He’s quick, hard working, intelligent, and likes to run at defenders, and while he may not have the talent of Liverpool’s departed superstar striker Luis Suarez, in general outline he plays a very similar game. Signing him to a short contract would also allow the club to further asses Sturridge.
The only question then is how much Juventus might want for him, but given his age and that he only has a year to go on his current deal, the fee might well be fairly low. He might not fit the profile of the sorts of players FSG like to sign, but for the right price it would be hard for Liverpool to pass on a player like Tevez, who the club could be confident would arrive ready to slot straight into the starting eleven.
That’s not something that could be said of the likes of Danny Ings, who is widely reported to be arriving from relegated Burnley, or of Christian Benteke, a solid number nine but stylistic question mark that Liverpool are rumoured to be interested in and who would cost an eye-watering £32M to pry away from Aston Villa.
