Last week, Calciomercato in Italy reported that Liverpool duo Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were wanted by AC Milan [covered by HITC Sport].
And frankly, a January exit looks a lot more possible now.
Well, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain leaving Liverpool soon looks very possible anyway because both are out of contract on Merseyside next summer.
But if James Pearce is right, a winter exit is on the cards.
That’s because Pearce wrote in The Athletic on Sunday that Keita is finally fully fit again, having failed to kick a ball in any competition this season.
And with Oxlade-Chamberlain also fighting fit, well it makes a lot of sense for Liverpool to sell both as soon as possible.
These are two players who set the club back a total of £90 million and losing the pair for nothing would be awful business, it has to be said.
Whatever happens, the Reds will take a massive loss on their investments, but selling in January means they will at least recoup some money.
And with both being injury prone midfielders, Liverpool would be fools to keep them beyond the winter and then discover that one – or both – breaks down during the second half of the campaign.
If Pearce’s report is accurate, and Keita is genuinely fit, then wrapping both in cotton wool until January would be logical.
It might not be to Milan, who are rumoured to be interested in signing them as free agents in June of 2023, but there won’t be a shortage of interest in the duo next month, despite their chequered injury records.
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