Liverpool Willing to Spend Big on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

While Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn’t appeared to be in Arsene Wenger’s master plan this season, with only 12 starts to his name, the Gunners won’t let go of the midfielder easily.

It’s said that the 23-year-old, who is in the last 12 months of his current Arsenal contract and has yet to begin formal talks to come to an agreement on a new one, is of keen interest to Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. That interest hasn’t waned despite the North London club slapping a £35 million valuation on the England international.

However, with Oxlade-Chamberlain nearing the end of his contract, Liverpool should potentially be able to use that to negotiate down the final price for him. He’s also said to be unsettled at Arsenal and looking for more consistent starting football, which could make a move easier.

He is one of several key Arsenal players whose existing contract is entering its final year. In addition to him are also Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, and Jack Wilshere, so Arsenal fans should expect a very interesting summer.

Klopp is said to be trying to take advantage of the player’s dissatisfaction and the club’s focus on Ozil and Sanchez to lure Oxlade-Chamberlain to Anfield. And thanks to Oxlade-Chamberlain also representing England, he would come into the team already familiar with Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Daniel Sturridge, and James Milner.

Liverpool and FSG have proven over the years that they’re willing to put out significant amounts of cash if they feel that a player is right for the team -- for good or ill. Most recently, they paid Southampton £30 million last summer to secure the services of winger Sadio Mané, who returned the favor by becoming Liverpool’s leading goal scorer this season.

It’s also been rumored that Klopp will have a large transfer kitty at his disposal this summer in order to help Liverpool compete with their elite European competition in the years to come. If that’s true, expect the club to aggressively go after targets they deem worthy, including young, versatile midfielders like Oxlade-Chamberlain.