Report: Liverpool will try to sign Alisson after Karius' calamitous final
Liverpool is ready to test Roma's resolve over standout goalkeeper Alisson after Loris Karius' catastrophic errors in the Champions League, The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe reports.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has apparently had his eyes on Alisson for some time, and Karius' humiliating blunders in the 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid appears to have emboldened the German's search for a top shot-stopper.
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Karius was anointed Liverpool's No. 1 goalkeeper at the beginning of 2018, but according to Bascombe, there were already calls for Alisson before Karius' meltdown. Roma initially quoted the Brazilian's value at £60 million, Bascombe adds, a price tag that forced Liverpool to stay the course with Karius until the end of the season.
Klopp would reportedly be prepared to play the waiting game for Alisson, just as he did with Virgil van Dijk before signing him from Southampton for a world-record fee for a defender. But the Italian side is understandably leery of selling another big player to Liverpool, who signed Mohamed Salah from Roma last summer for what turned out to be a relatively modest £36 million.
The Guardian's Andy Hunter believes it will require a "considerable offer" to pry Alisson from Roma's reluctant hands, while Bascombe envisions a "tough negotiation."
However, the additional revenue from Liverpool's deep Champions League run - believed to be around £70 million - plus the windfall from the £142-million sale of Phillipe Coutinho should arm the club's transfer board with sufficient funds to tempt Roma. The capital side is also still being monitored by UEFA over Financial Fair Play concerns, which could necessitate another sale to ensure break-even compliance.
Alisson kept 17 clean sheets in Serie A as Roma finished in third place.