Transfer update: Fulham midfielder is key to Liverpool’s ‘£25m move’ for young star

Fulham’s Joao Palhinha has emerged as a key factor in Liverpool’s pursuit of Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch.

With the window closing tomorrow, there is still time to source another player or two, across both defensive midfield and in defence with Gravenberch the key name being discussed.

The Reds are reportedly in talks over a potential move, with the Athletic had revealing that the German champions would not allow him to leave before a replacement could be found.

With Liverpool clearly pushing for the deal with the 21-year-old, their salvation could come from Fulham’s Palhinha, who Bayern are targeting to bolster their midfield.

Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Bayern are actively working on the Palhinha deal and negotiations are ongoing but, funnily enough, Fulham will only approve the potential move if they can find a top replacement.

The player reportedly wants the move and he would certainly be a big loss for Fulham; he was once a consideration for Liverpool given he finished last season as the Premier League’s leading tackler with 147 - a figure that was 47 more than second-place Moises Caicedo.

Furthermore, Liverpool have received a boost given that the Daily Mail is reporting that Fulham are honing on Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana as a replacement in that position and the transfer three-way continues to escalate.

Gravenberch has a vast potential that once saw him as one of the most coveted young players in Europe a few years ago after he broke into the Ajax first-team.

During that time, he faced off against Liverpool in the Champions League during the 2020/21 campaign and enjoyed a strong game as an 18-year-old at Anfield in a tight 1-0 defeat.

His tactical flexibility would give Klopp the chance to experiment with a slightly different formation and his six foot three frame would help him adapt to a more physically demanding league in England.

With Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szboszlai already secured, he would be a solid fourth addition to replace the outgoing Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain which would constitute an acceptable rebuild.

But for now, their pursuit rests on Fulham and Bayern successfully negotiating a deal which could move extremely quickly given the lack of time left in the window.