Rumour Mongering: Liverpool to Abandon Alisson Chase

With Roma unwilling to budge on their £70M valuation, Liverpool are ready to give up on their attempts to sign Brazil starting goalkeeper Alisson and move on to other targets as Jürgen Klopp looks to reinforce the position ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Or at least that’s the story today in The Independent, who claim that Roma’s hard-line stance—in part driven by an unwillingness to be seen to lose another player on the cheap after selling Mohamed Salah last summer—has Liverpool looking elsewhere.

The English broadsheet believe Roma’s asking price has driven off not just Liverpool but also Spanish giants Real Madrid, who could either sign Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois for less or pay about £10M more to trigger Jan Oblak’s Atletico Madrid release clause.

If Alisson is Klopp and Liverpool’s top target, though, threats of walking away could be a negotiation tactic—while Roma have claimed they have no need to sell the goalkeeper this summer, the Serie A side have certainly been busy in the transfer market.

At some point, sales will likely be necessary, and Alisson is by far Roma’s most saleable asset. Liverpool, though, have made it clear that £70M is well above what they’re willing to pay, and speculation in Brazil has often talked of a £55M compromise.