Liverpool Planning January Move For €30m Argentine
Liverpool are reportedly considering a bid for Paris Saint-Germain forward, Ezequiel Lavezzi, as their attempts to fill the void left by the departure of Luis Suarez continue. The Reds have alternated to signing Lavezzi after an attempt to sign his team mate Edison Cavani was blocked by the French giants.
Argentina international, Lavezzi has previously played for Napoli in Serie A but has struggled to replicate his best form since moving to France.
Liverpool boss, Brendan Rodgers brought in Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert following Suarez’s move to Barcelona but both players have not proved to be adequate replacements so far.
Balotelli has only struggled to find the back of the net just once ever since he joined Liverpool from AC Milan in the recent summer. And with the ever increasing worry of Liverpool in finding a perfect replacement for Suarez, the club has turned attention to France, in a bid to secure the services of a player who can link up effortlessly with Daniel Sturridge.
Nevertheless, PSG has blocked probable for the former Napoli striker, insisting he will remain in Paris throughout the next transfer window, meaning Rodgers would have to turn his attention to his secondary target.
And with 29-year-old Lavezzi having been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past, Liverpool are now making him a prime target and are one of the few clubs able to meet both the transfer fee and wage demands of the club and the player respectively.
The Parisians are open to offloading the Argentina international, so Liverpool may make a move in January, may also likely face stiff competition from Spanish Champions, Atletico Madrid, Napoli and Italian side, Inter Milan. Brendan Rodgers, regardless, remains adamant that the intensity of Premier League football could lure the striker to England.
Liverpool are also looking to cut short summer signing, Divock Origi’s season long loan with Lille so as to strengthen their bench but the French club have blatantly refused to honour Liverpool’s wishes and have announced that they are holding on to the player till the end of the season.
“It’s impossible. He will stay here until June,” Lille director, Jean-Michel Vandamme said in an interview.
The Argentinian star who has been linked with a move away from the French sides this year has struggled to nail down a starting place in the starting line up in the PSG squad this season and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes for his club this term.
With the players’ contract due to run out in 2016, PSG may try to cash in on their star player sooner, rather than later.
On the 2nd of July, 2012, Paris Saint-Germain confirmed that they had agreed with Napoli to a €26.5 million transfer fee for the rights to Lavezzi and signed him to a four year deal, reportedly worth up to €30 million.
He has made six appearances for PSG this season, scoring a total of 19 goals ever since he joined Napoli from 2012 till date.