Rumour Mongering: Liverpool and Juventus Look to Sign Ghoulam to Pre-Contract

Liverpool are negotiating with one player whose contract expires at the end of the current season, who will be free to sign a pre-contract with another club in January, who is said to want to stay at the club but who wants a release clause lower than what Liverpool are willing to offer to sign a new deal.

That player is, of course, Emre Can. But according to the Italian rumour mongers, Liverpool could be in talks behind the scenes with another player in a similar situation, one playing for another club and who Liverpool could be set to sign to a pre-contract agreement in January should that remain an option.

That player is Faouzi Ghoulam, the 26-year-old French-born Algerian International left back currently plying his trade for Napoli in Serie A. For those with a short memory, Ghoulam was linked with a move to Liverpool over the summer before the club went for Hull’s Andy Robertson instead.

Now, according to Calciomercato, they could be back in for him—along with Juventus, who are the main club meant to be keeping an eye on Liverpool’s negotiations with Emre Can. Or it might be that Ghoulam’s agent is floating Liverpool’s name in an effort to get a better deal for his client.

After all, despite the rumours in Italy of Liverpool interest in the player over the summer, nobody from the Liverpool end of things ever confirmed the club were looking at Ghoulam, and if reports of Liverpool interest in him were in fact less than genuine then, it’s likely they remain so today.

Still, if Ghoulam doesn’t sign a new deal he would be a solid player to sign for a pre-contract in January should Jürgen Klopp start to once again question his left back options. For now, though, it’s more likely a case of the player’s agent trying to use Liverpool to his advantage in contract negotiations.