Atalanta ace Teun Koopmeiners has indicated that he would only consider leaving the Serie A outfit for a club competing for the biggest prizes with Premier League giants Liverpool reportedly hot on his heels.
While a deal for Brighton’s World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister appears to be edging ever closer to completion, one new midfielder alone will not be enough for a Liverpool side who confirmed last week that James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would all be leaving Anfield when their contracts expire.
Jude Bellingham has long-since moved out of Klopp’s reach. Mason Mount, meanwhile, appears to be prioritising a move to Manchester United. Manuel Ugarte is reportedly in talks with PSG, Sofyan Amrabat dreams of Barcelona, and Moises Caicedo’s £90 million price-tag is likely to be a little on the expensive side.
So, with Klopp and co under pressure to cast their net a little wider, in pursuit of more affordable alternatives, do not be surprised to see Tuen Koopmeiners emerge as a priority over the coming months.
Will Liverpool sign Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners?
Corriere dello Sport believe that Liverpool have already taken the ‘first steps’ to bringing Koopmeiners to Anfield. At £35 million, the cultured, tactically-flexible Dutch international will come far cheaper than Bellingham, Mount, Caicedo and co.
His ability to play in central midfield or at centre-half could also come in very handy.
“In football, when a player does well, there are rumours that link him with other clubs,” 25-year-old Koopmeiners tells L’Eco di Bergamo. “What matters now is to play the last two games at my best to achieve our goal.
“My ambition is to win something in the next two years. I don’t have a (dream) club in mind, and I’m not saying I would like to go somewhere in particular.
“I’m happy here.”
Reading between the lines, it seems that Koopmeiners, who captained AZ Alkmaar at the age of just 21, would consider a move to a club capable of offering him a shot at silverware. But he is in no rush to leave Atalanta after just two years in Bergamo.
“Now there are many players (at Atalanta) who make the difference,” former La Dea coach Bartolo Mutti tells Tuttomecatoweb. “Like Koopmeiners, who is the best midfielder in the league.
“(He is) always present in every area of the pitch.”
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