Cheick Doucoure, who missed Tuesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Plymouth for Crystal Palace, reportedly tried to reach a personal agreement with Liverpool.
The Reds are still looking for another dynamic midfielder before the transfer window ends on Friday, September 1 at 23:00 BST
Anfield Watch has learned that Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich) and Khephren Thuram (OGC Nice) are two of the players being considered, and that Liverpool has been slightly deterred by Crystal Palace’s high asking price for Doucoure—another player on the shortlist.
However, according to the French publication Sports Zone, Liverpool has not yet attempted to discuss a fee with Palace and has instead given Doucoure a contract offer to confirm that they can agree on personal conditions.
The Eagles’ matchday squad for their 4-2 Carabao Cup victory at Plymouth omitted Doucoure, who was part of Roy Hodgson’s mostly backup lineup.
The 23-year-old Mali international’s absence might simply be the product of a team rotation, but it also means that, should he join another club this season, he is not cup-tied.
According to earlier sources, Palace values Doucoure, the club’s Player of the Year in 2022–2023, at £60–70 million.
Hodgson recently stated: “I want to keep all of the players, there’s no doubt about that when asked about Doucoure’s future. The club spending money on players doesn’t benefit me because I’m the manager. With whatever funds we receive, I believe it would be extremely tough to replace those players.
The former Lens star has so far played every minute of Palace’s 2023–24 Premier League campaign.
