Liverpool 'very interested' in signing Renato Sanches
By Max Cooper
Liverpool are 'very interested' in signing Lille star Renato Sanches in the summer transfer window, and the French club are prepared to sell the Portuguese midfielder.
The 23-year-old helped to catapult Lille to Ligue 1 glory last season, pipping heavy favourites Paris Saint-Germain to the title on the final day of the season. His heroics have cast him back into the spotlight, and Europe's giants are once again taking notice of the former Bayern star.
And L'Equipe reports that Liverpool are 'very interested' in signing Sanches this summer, and they could be in luck, with Lille ready to offload the midfielder due to the club's tricky financial predicament.
Lille are aiming to 'reduce their workforce' in the current transfer window, as clubs around Europe continue to suffer the consequences of the coronavirus, which forced games to be played behind closed doors for more than a whole season.
The likes of Boubakary Soumare, Mike Maignan, Rominigue Kouame and Adama Soumaoro have all been sold already this summer, while Jose Fonte was released by the club at the end of his contract.
The Ligue 1 champions see Sanches as an opportunity to generate some serious income through player sales, and they would receive a handsome profit on the €25m fee they paid in 2019.
Sanches has already had a crack at the elite level when he joined Bayern in 2016, but his career trajectory began a downward spiral upon moving to the Bundesliga.
But the switch to Lille has revived his stalling career, and Liverpool's current interest only demonstrates just how in demand he currently is. His impressive displays for Portugal at Euro 2020 only cemented his place in the hearts of a number of admirers, and he looks set to be given another crack at the big time.
While Liverpool are in the market for a Georginio Wijnaldum replacement, Premier League rivals Arsenal are also believed to be pursuing Sanches, who will be hoping to improve on his first spell in the Premier League, when he suffered relegation with Swansea City in 2018.