Liverpool are one of a number of Premier League clubs reportedly interested in signing Cillessen from La Liga champions Barcelona.
Liverpool know that they will have to break the bank if they want to bring one of Jan Oblak or Alisson Becker to Anfield this summer.
A new number one is obviously a priority, and it should have been even before Lorus Karius’s Champions League final horror show, but Oblak and Alisson would comfortably surpass the world record fee for a goalkeeper, set when Manchester City bought Ederson for £35 million last year.
The Dutchman, who has played just two La Liga games since signing for Barcelona in 2016 thanks to the form of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, has a hefty £50 million release clause in his contract. And while this is far from cheap, it is still far less than the fees Oblak and Alisson would command.
But, according to Marca, a deal for Cillessen could be about to get even more tempting.
It is understood that Barcelona, despite being very happy with Cillessen’s performances over the last two seasons, would be willing to sell the former Ajax stopper for around £25 million to £30 million – potentially half his release clause.
The La Liga champions paid just £12 million to sign him two summers ago so they would still be making a substantial profit. And following the mega-money arrivals of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, Barca could still need to sell off a few fringe players to make some money back.
Marca states that Liverpool are not the only Premier League side keen on Cillessen, and no wonder at that price.
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