Former Liverpool target 'allowed to leave' for bargain price as club prepares for rebuild

It was a summer where it seemed every midfielder playing in Europe's top five leagues were linked with Liverpool.

Given that the Reds had a significant rebuild in the engine room, it wasn't a surprise. Jurgen Klopp would opt to recruit Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch to strengthen Liverpool's middle of the park. It yielded a third-place finish in the Premier League, a return to the Champions League and the Carabao Cup being added to the Anfield trophy cabinet.

But it could have been so different. It would have been had Moises Caicedo opted to move to Merseyside after a British-record £111 million bid was accepted by Brighton. He instead made the move to Chelsea along with Romeo Lavia, who Liverpool were also keen on.

But there were a plethora of names were said to have been on the radar of the Reds. They included Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat, who both joined Manchester United while Matheus Nunes completed a switch to Manchester City.

However, Manu Kone was one player who did not complete a summer transfer. There was a stage when it appeared the France youth international was high on Liverpool's agenda. He'd enjoyed an impressive 2022-23 season at Borussia Mönchengladbach and a price tag of £35 million had been mooted - but the Reds did not make a move.

Neither did any other club across Europe. Kone remained at Monchengladbach and recorded two goals and two assists in 25 appearances as his side finished 14th in the Bundesliga.

But surprisingly, reports in Germany have suggested that Die Fohlen are ready to sell Kone this summer. According to the Rheinische Post, the 23-year-old is one of several players Mönchengladbach are looking to offload.

It is suggested that they will look at least £15 million for Kone, who will represent France at the Olympics this summer. That is a significant drop from what Mönchengladbach wanted last summer.

What's more, the Rheinsiche Post says that the clubs who want Kone are 'no longer as attractive as he once hoped'.

However, Liverpool appear well-stocked in midfield after signing four players last summer while Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Stefan Bajcetic and Fabio Carvalho are also options. The Reds could look to recruit a new No.6 to provide competition for Endo, but he would have to tick all of the boxes.