Milan Skriniar is no longer unsellable at Inter Milan with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that the out-of-sorts centre-back could be available for £45 million amid interest from Liverpool and Newcastle United.
12 months ago, the prospect of a Slovakian international leaving the San Siro would have shaken the Nerazzuri fanbase to it’s very core.
But Diego Godin is not the only top-class defensive talent to slip down the pecking order since Antonio Conte exploded through the doors like a blue-eyed whirlwind.
Like the Uruguayan legend, Skriniar has struggled to adapt to Conte’s famed three-man backline.
And, after being overshadowed by Stefan de Vrij and the increasingly influential Alessandro Bastoni, Inter are now ready to listen to offers – despite rejecting approach after approach in recent years.
Gazzetta claims that Liverpool are the most interested party.
A move to the newly-crowned Premier League champions certainly feels like a more realistic possibility than Newcastle.
After all, their hopes of luring Skriniar to St James’ Park in one of the biggest transfer coups in the club’s recent history rest solely on whether Mike Ashley stays or goes (InterLive).
And, at the moment, Ashley is still pulling the strings on Tyneside.
But if Skriniar has struggled under Conte, then he should look right at home under Jurgen Klopp. The charasmatic German has rarely deviated from a classic four-man backline throughout his managerial career and the former Sampdoria stopper looks a perfect fit alongside Virgil van Dijk.
With all due respect to Joe Gomez, who has enjoyed a fine season at Anfield, Skriniar is the sort of player who could transform Liverpool from champions into the dominant force of English football.
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