Liverpool close on Red Bull Salzburg star Takumi Minamino â and can sign him for just ÂŁ7.25m *updated exclusive*
Paul Joyce, Northern Football Correspondent
December 12 2019, 5:00pm, The Times
Liverpool are confident of signing Red Bull Salzburgâs Takumi Minamino when the transfer window opens next month for only ÂŁ7.25 million.
The Japan international, who impressed against the European champions despite his sideâs 2-0 defeat on Tuesday night, is available for a fraction of his true market value because of a release clause in his deal.
Minamino, 24, has been tracked by the likes of Manchester United, Borussia Mönchengladbach and AC Milan, but Liverpool started negotiations last month. The Salzburg sporting director, Christoph Freund, has confirmed Liverpoolâs interest, which was first revealed by The Times.
âI can confirm that there are currently discussions with Liverpool,â said Freund, who has a strong relationship with his Anfield counterpart, Michael Edwards. âIt is an honour which clubs are interested in our players.â
No date has been set for Minamino to undergo a medical or discuss personal terms, although a five-year contract has been mooted.
Liverpool â who believe Minamino would be worth in excess of ÂŁ20 million without a release clause â had tracked the player before his arrival at Salzburg in 2015 and manager JĂŒrgen Klopp has also been a long-term admirer of his.
Minamino has caught the eye with his performances in the Champions League where his quality, poise in possession and ability to pick a pass from an attacking midfield role is clear.
He scored in Salzburgâs 4-3 defeat at Anfield in October and was deployed at the top of a midfield diamond behind two strikers in this weekâs game. Minamino has also played wide and in a two-pronged strike force previously to underline his versatility in a variety of positions which would appeal to Klopp.
He has two goals and three assists in the competition and it is understood some of Liverpoolâs senior players mentioned Minamino to the clubâs coaching staff having recognised his technical ability and work rate. Minamino covered 66.8 kilometres in six appearances in group E.
The deal was clearly advanced by then, however, and Klopp is confident that Minamino can perform an important role in the second half of the season with his own demands of players mirrored by those of Red Bull football empire.
Naby Keïta and Sadio Mané both saw their careers take a leap forward at Salzburg having been signed by German sporting director Ralf Rangnick, whom Klopp regards as being a big influence on his coaching career.
âYou are educating great players here in Salzburg,â said Klopp after the win in the Red Bull Arena which sealed the clubâs progress into the last 16 of the competition as winners of group E.
They will be seeded and could now face Real Madrid, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund or Lyons in Mondayâs draw.
A change in Uefaâs guidelines before the 2018-19 season saw the âcup-tied ruleâ removed, which would allow Minamino to play in the Champions League knockout stages for a new club.
Liverpool have not tended to sign players in January in recent seasons and there have been only two in Kloppâs tenure to date.
Marko Grujic joined from Red Star Belgrade for ÂŁ5.1million in January 2016 and is currently on loan at Hertha Berlin. Virgil van Dijk came from Southampton for an initial ÂŁ70 million in January 2018.
The willingness to break that normal strategy owes much to the work of Edwards, head of recruitment Dave Fallows and chief scout Barry Hunter in seemingly establishing Minaminoâs get-out clause ahead of other clubs.
United have been tracking Minamino along with 19-year-old team-mate Erling Haaland, whose âŹ20 million get-out clause has been widely known.
Another interested party was Mönchengladbach, top of the Bundesliga and whose coach Marco Rose worked with Minamino at Salzburg before his departure to the German club in the summer. AC Milan also dispatched scouts to watch the Salzburg-Liverpool tie with Minamino in mind.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers sporting director, Kevin Thelwell, was also present but he is understood to have been watching South Korean forward Hee-Chan Hwang before a potential move next summer.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/liverpool-close-on-red-bull-salzburg-star-takumi-minamino-and-can-sign-him-for-just-7-25m-8zzkc9knv