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Liverpool made it 10 Premier League wins in a row after their 2-0 victory over Watford on Saturday, 2 March. But they still remain a point behind Manchester City at the top of the table.
The Reds will next face Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday away from home, and will hope to return to Anfield with an advantage.
Today’s roundup features transfer stories on Declan Rice and Lautaro Martinez, as well as some titbits from Robbie Fowler. Without further ado, let’s have a look at the latest stories featuring the Reds as of April 3, 2022.
Rice is reportedly Klopp’s ‘number one’ target
Football Insider claim that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is Jurgen Klopp’s ‘number one’ choice this summer.
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The Reds have an aging midfield and that might be an area of focus in the next transfer window. Reportedly, Klopp believes Rice would be the ideal addition to their midfield.
However, West Ham United will not let Rice go for cheap. The Hammers will only sell him for a British record £150 million, which could be beyond Liverpool’s reach.
Rice has been a key cog in West Ham and the England national team over the last couple of seasons. He has made 29 appearances for the Hammers in the league this season as they seek to finish in the top four.
Fowler backs Liverpool to sign Kane
Harry Kane had an uncertain summer last year as it was clear he wanted to move elsewhere but a move never happened. According to Sky Sports, Manchester City made a £100 million bid for Kane but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy rejected it.
The England international was eventually reintroduced into the Tottenham Hotspur side last year and, after a slow start, is a player in form now. He scored four goals and made two assists last month, winning the Premier League Player of the Month award.
It remains to be seen if Kane will once again force the issue this summer as Spurs have made considerable progress under Antonio Conte. They currently sit fourth, level on points with Arsenal in fifth, who have two games in hand.
Fowler believes Liverpool should consider going after Kane because of his ability to drop deep and link up play and score goals as well.
In his column for the Mirror, he wrote:
“United will be in, for sure, and this is a bit left-field, but I’ve said before that Liverpool could do worse than go for him, because he’s got that ability to drop deep like Firmino, and he can guarantee goals. So he has a question to ask: Are Spurs closer now to winning trophies? I think objectively, and without appearing to put them down, most people would say they’re further away than before.”
Liverpool could move for Martinez
Journalist Niccolo Ceccarini (h/t Tuttomercatoweb) believes Liverpool could consider a move for Lautaro Martinez if Mohamed Salah leaves in the summer.
Salah is yet to sign an extension at the club and will enter the final year of his contract in July.
It remains to be seen what Liverpool’s play will be with respect to the Egyptian as they certainly will not want to lose him for free in 2023.
Martinez would be an able option, but not a direct replacement for the Egyptian as the Inter Milan man plays a more central role.
