Chelsea scouts watched Liverpool £51m 'target' at Anfield during Europa League defeat

Chelsea reportedly attended Liverpool’s recent Europa League defeat at Anfield to keep an eye one particular midfielder.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were swept aside by the composed Italian outfit who now look odds-on to progress to the semi-finals of the European competition. And they came face-to-face with one of their own targets in midfielder Teun Koopmeiners who has had an impressive season under Gian Piero Gasperini.

In the build-up to the game, we reported how there was interest from both the club and the player in relation to a move and he revealed that he would welcome a move to England in the near-future. While he wasn’t at his destructive best in front of goal at Anfield, he was still a key figure but he could have added to his impressive 13-goal haul this season if he had taken either of the two big chances that came his way against Liverpool.

Overall, he managed four tackles, completed 100% of his dribbles, won six of his 11 ground duels and managed four shots in a respectable display. And it is reported by SportsMediaSet, via JuventusNews24, that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is 'intent' on a potential move for the Dutchman this summer for a fee of £51m (€60m). The report claims that there were scouts present for the game last week and the 26-year-old could be another midfield addition at Stamford Bridge after the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have failed to find consistency this season.

Going toe-to-toe with Chelsea for a midfielder hasn’t ended well for Liverpool in recent times and it is likely that the London club need the midfielder more for their squad right now. Klopp’s squad possesses the likes of Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai as a starting trio but there’s also the depth of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Ryan Gravenberch, Bobby Clark and Stefan Bajcetic to support the first-choice midfielders.

A new manager may have his say at Liverpool this summer over bringing in potential recruits and Koopmeiners may re-enter the conversation but Chelsea’s willingness to acquire targets is something that could attract the midfielder to England.