Liverpool are ‘ready to pay’ in excess of £76 million for Man City and Chelsea transfer target

Liverpool have been linked to another blockbuster summer signing as Jurgen Klopp continues his hunt for new midfield superstars. After signing Alexis Mac Allister, the Reds made it clear they weren’t quite done revamping their engine room and several players have been heavily linked to Anfield moves.

Federico Valverde is one of the latest names to be thrown into the mix and according to Spanish media, realyed via Football 365, the Reds have crowbarred their way in ahead of Chelsea and Manchester City. Reports claim Liverpool are now leading the race for the Real Madrid star and are ‘ready to pay’ the hefty €90 million (£76.9 million) fee to strike a deal.

After confirming they would be signing more than one midfielder this summer, Liverpool have been expected to splash out on strenghtening their weakest area. However, individual big money moves had somewhat been ruled out after they withdrew interest in Jude Bellingham due to his nine-figure price tag.

Interestingly enough, despite not signing Bellingham, this story potentially loops back to him after he joined Madrid from Borussia Dortmund earlier this month. Los Blancos are expected to make more big transfer announcements after signing the Englishman, as well as bidding farewell to Karim Benzema, who has signed for Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ittihad.

Valverde is under contract with Madrid until 2027 and reports claim he is leaning more towards staying with the Spanish giants. The Uruguay international contributed 12 goals and seven assists across all competitions last season, and he started both fixtures against Liverpool in the Champions League to help eliminate the six-time winners.

Despite being named as the front-runners to sign Valverde, Chelsea are once again scouring the market for new signings, and Man City will also be looking to replace İlkay Gündoğan after agreeing a deal with Barcelona following the expiraton of his contract.