Liverpool 'hold talks' over '£60m' deal for midfielder, Man Utd & Arsenal also 'interested'

Liverpool sit top of the Premier League table following a dramatic turnaround at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon as title rivals Arsenal were beaten 1-0 at an in-form Aston Villa.

The Reds went 1-0 down at Selhurst Park but a Jordan Ayew red card sparked a lacklustre Liverpool side into life as Mohamed Salah netted his 200th goal for the club before Harvey Elliott hammered home the winner in the first minute of stoppage time. The win moved Jurgen Klopp's side top of the league, and they remained there at the end of the day as John McGinn scored the only goal as Villa won at home to Arsenal in the 5.30pm kick off.

Up next for Liverpool is their final Europa League group game at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, although the Reds are already through to the round of 16 as group winners. Next Sunday, they welcome Manchester United to Anfield in a huge game for both clubs after the Red Devils lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth on Saturday. As Liverpool look to make the most of their place at the top of the table, Klopp's side have been linked with Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha.

Spanish outlet Fichajes reports the Reds and their Premier League rivals Man United are interested in a move for the player, who has impressed since his move to Craven Cottage two years ago. Palhinha came close to joining Bayern Munich on deadline day but the deal collapsed as the player returned to Fulham after flying out to Germany.

A further report in TEAMtalk claims Liverpool have already held talks with the player's representatives, but so have United and Arsenal. Fulham are said to want £60m to sell the player, given Bayern had a agreed a deal in that region in the summer before the move fell through.

Liverpool signed four new midfielders in the summer and have been playing Alexis Mac Allister in the anchor role. The World Cup winner missed Saturday's win over Palace with an injury. Addressing the player's absence before the game, Klopp said: "Macca doesn't look good, so we have to see day by day.

"They were pretty hopeful after the game that it was not serious. It's not that serious, but in the period of the year if you are out for five days, it's 12 games pretty much."

Klopp is never one to rush into the transfer market, but a move for Palhinha would be a smart move if it was one Liverpool could pull off financially, which may prove one of the stumbling blocks after already buying four new midfielders in the summer.

The Reds may also be required to give priority to a new defender in January following a possible season-ending injury to centre-back Joel Matip. Wolfsburg's Maxence Lacroix and Crystal Palace‘s Marc Guehi are two players who are reportedly on the club's radar ahead of the January window.