Liverpool were looking to sign Donyell Malen from PSV Eindhoven this summer – but they couldn’t sell the players to get a deal done.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who claims that Liverpool wanted Malen but only if they could offload Sheridan Shaqiri and Divock Origi quickly.
Neither player has left the club yet, meaning Liverpool couldn’t reinvest the funds in Malen before they missed out.
Last week, Borussia Dortmund confirmed the signing of Malen from PSV for a fee in the region of £26million, beating the competition to sign the former Arsenal man.
Malen, 22, smashed 27 goals and 10 assists last season, making a mockery of Arsenal’s decision to flog him in the summer of 2017.
You couldn’t really blame Liverpool fans for being worried here, because Liverpool couldn’t even sign a £26million player without needing sales first.
That doesn’t smack of a club in a position to make signings to challenge Manchester City this coming season, though you can never count out Jurgen Klopp’s magic.
Shaqiri and Origi leaving would have funded such a move, but there is limited interest in Origi right now and Shaqiri’s exit is dragging on a little.
Until the duo leave Liverpool, it seems unlikely that Klopp’s attacking options will be bolstered – and that’s all the more reason to try and get them moved on before this month’s transfer deadline.
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