Liverpool set to sign midfielder Renato Sanches from Lille as Wijnaldum looks for new club

Ollie Irish

22nd, December 2020

Is that Klopp I hear?

The S*n is claiming that Lille midfielder Renato Sanches – yes, the Portuguese lad who once played on loan for Swansea City – has agreed to sign for Liverpool, for a fee in the £18m ballpark. He seems to have been around for a long time, but he’s only 23 years old, and has been in good form for his Ligue 1 side.

Renato would be a decent and relatively cheap replacement for Gini Wijnaldum, who looks set to leave the club at the end of the season. Reports claim the Dutchman’s contract demands are not being met, and at 30 years old, you can see why Liverpool might not want to give him another long-term deal. LFC fans are pretty miffed about that, as Wijnaldum has been a very important cog in their machine in recent seasons; Liverpool fans who watch him regularly know how valuable he is to the squad.

If I was in charge of Liverpool, I’d do all I could to keep Wijnaldum. He’s a brilliant, experienced professional. But if he does leave, Sanches could prove to be a useful new weapon in Klopp’s arsenal. Incidentally, the Sanches deal could be funded by the sale of fringe striker Divock Origi to Schalke (as part of a Liverpool bid for 04 defender Ozan Kabak).

Plot twist: Man Utd are also very keen on signing Sanches, but it appears Liverpool got there first.