Alisson wonderland... are Liverpool set to make Roma keeper the world’ s most expensive at £60m?
LIVERPOOL have made a structured offer in excess of £60m for AS Roma’s Alisson, exceeding the current world record fee for a goalkeeper and revisiting a deal they had put on ice earlier in the summer.
The Serie A club are yet to respond but have previously stated their intention of keeping the Brazil number one, despite interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Of those clubs, Madrid are now understood to be more focused on Thibaut Courtois, with his contract expiring next season.
It is the possibility of Courtois’ departure — be that on a Bosman next summer or for a fee in the coming weeks — that has pushed Chelsea into the chase for Alisson, who has been one of Italy’s best goalkeepers in recent seasons and keeps Manchester City’s highly-rated Ederson on the bench at international level.
Ederson’s £35m move to City in 2017 is the current world record fee for a keeper, a mark that will be nearly doubled should a deal be agreed for his compatriot.
Roma are understood to accept that Alisson will leave the club this summer but want north of €70m (£65m) before they will let him go.
They have already signed 21-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper Daniel Fuzato from Palmeiras this summer as well as veteran Antonio Mirante.
Liverpool are keen to add a new number one after Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius both exhausted the patience of the coaching staff, with the Reds’ season ending in a Champions League final where Karius’ errors were a huge factor in defeat.
Chelsea must now decide whether they will formally enter the chase for Alisson, a push that would appear to signal Courtois’ imminent departure.
Chelsea’s most recent contract offer to Courtois was deemed insufficient by the player, but their next move will reveal what their plans are at their goalkeeper position; doubling down on Courtois, officially joining the bidding for Alisson, or finding a new target and performing the adequate due diligence with just a couple of weeks remaining in the transfer window.