Liverpool have come a long way in negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong, and several reports suggest that a deal is close to being finalized.
Now that Trent Alexander-Arnold is leaving the club for free this summer, most likely to join Real Madrid, Liverpool are facing the need to strengthen their defence. Homegrown Conor Bradley will be given more responsibility next season, but reports of interest in Frimpong have grown stronger in recent days.
Florian Plettenberg was the first to state that Liverpool were “seriously chasing” Frimpong, which has a buyout clause of €40 million, making the deal relatively easy to complete.
The 24-year-old Dutchman, who came through Manchester City’s youth academy but left for Celtic in 2019 without having played a senior game for Pep Guardiola’s team, is said to have agreed with Liverpool on the essentials.
Kicker writes that the only thing missing before a five-year contract can be written is wording.
Although Frimpong’s buyout clause means that Leverkusen have little say in the matter anyway, it is believed that they are keen to sell the Dutch wing-back after manager Xabi Alonso has left the club. Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 formation was the perfect system for him.
Alonso’s replacement, who is expected to be former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag after Gianluca Di Marzio reported on Cesc Fabregas’ decision to turn down an offer to the BayArena, prefers a four-man defence where Frimpong is not considered a natural fit.
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot also uses a four-man defence, but can give Frimpong the same freedom that Alexander-Arnold was given when he regularly moved around the pitch to take part in attacks.
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