'Bidding war' with Real Madrid for £52m midfielder as Reds star accepts pay cut to leave

Liverpool are reportedly ‘set to engage in a bidding war’ with Real Madrid to sign Kees Smit from AZ Alkmaar while a Reds star is ready to accept a pay cut to escape Anfield.

Arne Slot is under serious pressure with Liverpool now 14 points off league leaders Arsenal having stormed to the Premier League title last term.

Transfer rumours are rife amid the strife and with the January window open, and the Daily Star claim the Reds bosses are considering a move for 19-year-old Smit.

The report states:

‘Liverpool seem set to engage in a bidding war for Kees Smit. The AZ Alkmaar sensation has been turning heads in the Eredivisie recently, prompting the Reds to keep tabs on him.

‘However, the downside is that Real Madrid are also reportedly interested in the midfielder. With a staggering £52m price tag, whoever secures the young prodigy could end up shelling out even more to outbid the competition.’

Space on the wage bill for Smit could be opened up by the departure of Federico Chiesa, who’s grown increasingly frustrated by his lack of opportunity under Slot.

Gazetta dello Sport claim the 29-year-old is so desperate to return to Serie A that he’s prepared to slash his £5m per year earnings to move back to Juventus.

On Chiesa’s potential return, Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti said recently: “He was in my team at the time (the Italian national team). It was a compliment I wanted to give him. Sinner is one of the strongest for consistency and perseverance. Chiesa, on the other hand, for his strikes: he’s a player of big numbers, who beats his man and creates chaos.”

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Liverpool have also faced significant problems in defence this term, with Ibrahima Konate the most vehemently criticised for his displays.

Konate’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the season, so quite why Aston Villa would entertain the swap deal that Stan Collymore is suggesting isn’t entirely clear…

Speaking to BetWright football betting, Collymore said: “Liverpool must identify a replacement for Ibrahima Konate if he leaves, especially because I don’t think Virgil van Dijk will be far behind him.

“I know there’s been talk of Marc Guehi, but I’m looking at someone like Ezri Konsa – who’s probably going to start for England at the World Cup alongside John Stones. If I was head of recruitment at Liverpool, I think Konsa and Guehi would both be deals that provide good value for money.

“Aston Villa have PSR issues that they need to address, so if they were to get a big fee for Konsa, they might have to consider it. For me, Konate thinks he’s the best defender since sliced bread but hasn’t played like it recently.

“I’m sure he’s thinking he’ll be going to the likes of PSG or Real Madrid, but could there be a swap deal where Konsa goes to Liverpool and Konate goes to Aston Villa? That would be something that would work for both parties.”

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