Liverpool set to face '£51m' transfer target who 'wants to leave'

Liverpool are set to face Atalanta in their Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday evening and will come face-to-face with one previously reported target. Atalanta will bring a unique threat in the first leg; they are a side that has been brilliantly coached by Gian Piero Gasperini since 2016. Expect a strong tactical battle to ensue as the Italian side are famed for their free-flowing style of play. Liverpool experienced this in the Champions League during the 2020/21 season.

Having drawn against them in the group stages, Jurgen Klopp’s side earned a brilliant 5-0 win in Italy as they tore Gasperini’s side to shreds on the counter-attack. However, in the reverse game, Liverpool rotated their injury-hit side and were shocked by a 2-0 defeat at Anfield. And while some players remain from that squad, there is one player that could be worth keeping an eye on for Liverpool fans.

Across the past few months, we have seen reports from around Europe of Liverpool’s supposed interest in midfielder Teun Koopmeiners. The 26-year-old midfielder is currently experiencing his best goal scoring season for Atalanta with 13 goals and four assists in 37 games so far. Interestingly, he has played the majority of his career in deep midfield and he is a truly versatile all-round midfielder who has become Virgil van Dijk’s teammate at international level.

Previous news outlets earlier this year suggested that a fee of around £43-51 million would be needed as he still has three years left on his deal. However, the latest reports coming directly from Atalanta have played down talk of a move away for Koopmeiners but Atalanta director Luca Percassi insists they have not received any direct interest.

He told Mediaset: "Let's just say that Atalanta do not need to sit down and talk about their players at this stage. It's normal that Koopmeiners and others are doing well, so consequently can attract interest from various clubs. However, we have not received any direct interest. We'll see later on, we'll sit down and talk once the season has closed, and whatever we do will be with the objective of strengthening the squad."

Moreover, Koopmeiners spoke out about his desire to leave the club in March and cited England as a potential destination, as he told De Telegraaf: "I told Atalanta that next summer I want to leave. Already last year there was a concrete interest from Napoli but in the end, the clubs couldn’t find an agreement.

"My girlfriend and I love life in Italy, but for some clubs in England, I'd be willing to tolerate the rain! I hope that options arise that I can reflect on. And I also hope that Atalanta receives a good sum, because I had a wonderful time in Bergamo."