Shaq rejects Bundesliga move & Brazilian starlet linked – Liverpool FC Roundup

January 26, 2021
This Is Anfield

Liverpool headlines on Tuesday largely centre around economic matters: club finances, transfer rumours and kit leaks.

Reds could move for another Brazilian teen

Last year, Alisson training with his brother at Fluminense ended up having a significant knock-on effect: the Reds signed young goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga from the club.

Now there’s another individual at the same club who the Reds are apparently keen on: 17-year-old Kayky, an attacker who has featured for the national team at U16 level.

Previously we wouldn’t have been able to bring this type of youngster in with work permit rules, but as they have all changed, there’s more scope to do so.

Brazilian outlet UOL say Shakhtar, Liverpool and Man City are in the running to sign him, while Netflu add that the Reds have a detailed career plan on offer to the youngster.

Relations between the clubs are good after the Ali-Pitaluga link-ups, and he could be one we move for in the summer – he turns 18 in June.

Shaqiri opts out of relegation fight

The timing of some of these rumours makes it difficult to discern between believability and convenience.

Xherdan Shaqiri has just got himself back fully fit and involved in the Reds’ first team on a more regular basis, which makes it unlikely either he or we would want him to depart anyway – and he has seemingly turned down an offer to do so.

A trail of reporting from Fussball Transfers to Sky Germany to Sport Witness says Hertha Berlin wanted him to join this window, to aid their push back toward the top half of the Bundesliga after a very poor campaign so far.

They’ve just given the manager the boot, too, but Shaq is “not in the mood for a relegation battle” according to those reports.

That said, if we don’t start to win soon…!

Joking, of course!

Football and finances

It’s all about the money, as the song once said.

FSG have ended talks over an $8bn investment deal which could have involved the Reds in a club network
Some new images of an apparent Nike Air Max fourth kit have surfaced
And the cost of no fans at Anfield comes in at £44m so far and counting, according to the latest forecasts

Quickfire LFC news

Jeremy Doku has explained why he turned down a move to Liverpool last summer (TIA)

Mbappe would be ‘keen’ to play for the Reds but hasn’t decided his future yet (FFT)

Jordan Henderson heads up a group looking to tackle online abuse (TIA)

And John Aldridge says Liverpool should spend £100m or more to ensure they land Erling Haaland from Dortmund (Goal)

Around the Prem

West Ham plan to undo all their good work from the first half of the season by signing Jesse Lingard on loan and actually playing him (BBC)

PSG and Arsenal might do a swapsies for Draxler and Guendouzi. Give it five months before each find out why the other one wanted rid? (Mirror)

Shkodran Mustafi is set to be released on a free by Arsenal and he’s German, so there’s another day’s worth of LFC transfer links on the way (f.l)

Monaco and Benfica have joined the list of overseas clubs keen on Demarai Gray on a free. How much will a Prem club pay to bring him back in 18 months, do you think? We’ll set the unders/overs at £12m… (Guardian)

Curious outcome of the day

Without knowing all the details, we won’t label this one stupid. Livingston manager David Martindale has been deemed “a fit and proper person” by the Scottish FA.

Previously he had failed to be granted that ‘label’, having served three-and-a-half years in prison for involvement in organised crime.

An important taking of a second chance, perhaps?