Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Consider Renato Sanches

Liverpool have missed out on midfield Plan A, with RB Leipzig refusing to sell Naby Keïta despite Liverpool’s willingness to nearly double their record transfer fee to land him. Now, with the young Guinean star taken off the table, expect to see plenty of new names linked with Liverpool in the coming weeks.

Today’s is via SportsBild, who have a decent track record in Germany when it comes to Bayern Munich news in particular. And they say Liverpool are interested in 19-year-old Bayern midfielder Renato Sanches—but only if they can have him in a permanent deal, as they have no interest in taking him on loan.

Bayern have been seeking a loan destination for Sanches, who struggled to adjust to the pace of the game in Germany and Bayern’s more technical demands after arriving there from Benfica last summer. Though gifted, Sanches can sometimes be ponderous on the ball and is lacking in elite agility.

Put simply, he’s a straight line player, and Bayern need him to get regular playing time somewhere that will help his development into a more rounded and technical one. So Bayern want to loan him. But the clubs who have been linked, like Chelsea and Manchester United and now Liverpool, aren’t that interested in a loan.

They also wouldn’t be motivated to start Sanches week in and week out given he would be destined to return to Germany. Which means it’s probably safe to ignore any such rumours, at least unless Bayern change their stance and decide that they’re willing to sell Sanches instead.

But until then, Sanches to Liverpool isn’t going to happen—something SportsBild have confirmed alongside their interest—and the player is more likely to head to Serie A on loan in search of playing time.