Liverpool are making strong moves to improve the squad that Arne Slot breezed to the Premier League title with and Fabrizio Romano says two signings are very close.
Sporting director Richard Hughes has already wrapped up a deal to sign Jeremie Frimpong after a £29.6m agreement was struck. The fullback’s move to Anfield has already been made official while Liverpool are working to complete a deal to sign Milos Kerkez.
Bournemouth have held a firm stance on their asking price of £45m with the Cherries determined to make it clear that Hughes – their former executive – will not get any preferrential treatment after joining Liverpool’s hierarchy.
Kerkez was named in the Premier League Team of the Season and at just 21, the sky is the limit for the young Hungarian.
Most excitingly, Liverpool are nearing a mega-deal to sign Florian Wirtz with the latest claims suggesting the Reds will max out with a final bid of £118m after their bid of £113m was rejected.
The Daily Mail‘s Lewis Steele reports: “All parties are confident a deal can be struck as Wirtz is said to be desperate for the move and Leverkusen are not planning to stand in his way – if they are remunerated in a fair way.”
Fabrizio Romano provides updates on Liverpool deals for Wirtz, Kerkez and a new striker
The Italian journalist says that Liverpool are very close to completing the necessary negotiations and paperwork to sign Wirtz and Kerkez while plans to sign a new centre-forward are delayed until the two new signings are completed.
“There are many clubs appreciating Hugo Ekitike. It’s true that Liverpool like him,” the reporter told the ‘Here We Go‘ podcast on Sunday.
“They [Liverpool] had some contacts to understand the situation. But at the moment the focus for Liverpool is Florian Wirtz – coming soon, Milos Kerkez – coming soon.”
While rumours circulated over the weekend suggesting Liverpool had made progress to sign Ekitike, Romano has rubbished these claims.
“They are not advancing for Ekitike but they made some calls over recent weeks to understand the situation of the player, the costs,” Romano added.
“So, he’s a player they like, but let’s see if they decided to go strong on him or another one. It also depends on the outgoings.”
