OPINION
Liverpool appear to have been handed a boost in their reported pursuit of Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.
According to Sky Sports, Southampton are ready to cash in on the 29-year-old this summer and are willing to listen to offers from whoever is interested in signing him.
The broadcaster claims that Aston Villa are keen on signing McCarthy, but the Mirror reported in June that Jurgen Klopp is also in the hunt to sign him amid doubts surrounding the future of Simon Mignolet.
According to the newspaper, Liverpool originally wanted McCarthy last summer before they signed Alisson from Roma.
But now, the Merseyside giants have revived their interest as they aim to sign the one-time England international as a replacement for Mignolet, should they need a new back-up goalkeeper.
McCarthy’s availability should mean that Liverpool’s chances of signing the shot-stopper have improved, so fans of the European champions might soon see Klopp make his first senior signing of the summer transfer window.
The former Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper could be a very good addition for Liverpool if they were to sign him as a back-up to Alisson this summer.
He made 25 Premier League appearances for Southampton last season and according to stats by WhoScored, made an average of 3.1 saves per 90 minutes for the south coast club.
In comparison, Alisson made 1.9 saves per 90 minutes for Liverpool, though Southampton’s goalkeeper did have to deal with more shots at his goal due to not having Virgil van Dijk in the defence.
Still, McCarthy’s numbers are solid and if he is available for a fair fee and Klopp needs to replace Mignolet, the £50,000-a-week [Spotrac] Saints man could be a very good addition to the Liverpool squad.
