Bara delight at Pool’s interest in Lewis, but £10m bid rejected

IF Jamal Lewis seals a glamour move to Liverpool it would be a huge boost for both him and Northern Ireland, says his international boss Ian Baraclough.

The gifted 22-year-old leftback, who has 12 caps, is a wanted man following Norwich City’s relegation from the Premier League and Jurgen Klopp’s champions have had a £10m bid knocked back.

Pool want Lewis as cover for Scotland captain Andy Robertson but the defender is under contract until 2023 and City are holding out for a higher offer.

The Belfast Telegraph revealed last month that Norwich had slapped a £20m price tag on their best young players following their relegation to the Championship.

And Liverpool are prepared to make the 22-year-old Luton man (above, right) the most expensive player in Northern Ireland’s history.

In 2018, midfielder George Saville joined Middlesbrough from Millwall in a permanent deal for around £8m, matching the figure West Brom paid for Jonny Evans from Manchester United in 2015.

Some Northern Ireland fans have raised concerns over a lack of game time which could hinder Lewis’ development at Anfield, but Baraclough (below) is having none of that.

“Why wouldn’t you want to go to the European champions, the Premier League champions and the World Club champions?” said the new Northern Ireland chief.

“Some people might say you won’t get as much game time, but if you’re training day in, day out with Jurgen Klopp and the calibre of players he’d be working with, you’re going to improve as a player and it would take him to the next level. It would be up to him to knuckle down if that move happens, and make sure he’s at the forefront of the manager’s thoughts.

“The amount of games they play, and the way they rotate players now, he’d certainly get game time and I certainly think it would bring him on as a player.

“And for me, as the national manager, I can see that as a step up and another player in the Premier League after Norwich unfortunately dropped out of the Premier League.”

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