Liverpool have held a meeting with the representatives of Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram regarding a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.
Are Liverpool signing Khephren Thuram?
Thuram has made a total of 138 appearances at the Allianz Riviera since joining from AS Monaco back in 2019, and despite his contract not expiring for another two years, in recent weeks, he’s been highlighted as an ideal target for Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside.
Back in April, The Independent first credited the Reds with an interest in the 22-year-old with the boss thinking that he perfectly fits the profile of central reinforcement that he’s looking for having pulled out of the race to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham.
Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, journalist Jonathan Johnson has since claimed that the France international is still very much being “looked at” by FSG, and if the following update is to be believed, there’s a strong chance that he could be imminently on his way to Anfield.
According to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), Liverpool have been in talks over a summer deal for Thuram for a “few weeks” to discover what it would take to complete a switch and have made their move “more concretely” than others.
The Reds have even already “held a meeting” with the defensive midfielder’s camp, and it’s stated that the idea of joining is “liked”. Nice “aren’t ready to sell”, and whilst it remains to be seen what his price tag would be, there is expected to be a “lot of competition” for his signature.
Should Liverpool splash the cash on Thuram?
Liverpool are clearly serious about landing Thuram, despite seemingly being close to signing Alexis Mac Allister, having progressed to the stage of negotiations that they have and it’s no surprise that he’s being targeted having been dubbed a “tenacious tackler” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, so should the board be able to successfully secure his services, it could be a shrewd move.
Nice’s 6 foot 4 colossus, who pockets £14.5k-per-week, averaged 1.5 tackles per league game last season hence his nickname, but was also a threat at the opposite end of the pitch having recorded ten goal contributions (eight assists and two goals) across all competitions.
Even if he’s not always on the scoresheet, Thuram is constantly looking to produce moments of quality for himself and his fellow teammates having made 84 shot-creating actions in 2022/23 which was higher than any of his peers, via FBRef, so for someone who possesses the ability to positively impact the game both defensively and offensively, FSG could be making a smart move.
