Liverpool might have to pay ‘more than Arsenal paid for Xhaka’ to secure midfield signing – report

Liverpool might have to pay ‘more than Arsenal paid for Xhaka’ to secure midfield signing – report – originally posted on Sportslens.com

Liverpool will have to pay more than the record €45 million that Arsenal forked out to buy Granit Xhaka in 2016 if they want to sign Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Florian Neuhaus, according to TransferMarkt’s Manuel Veth.

Arsenal, of course, signed Xhaka in 2016 for €45 million, equalling the then-club record transfer fee paid for Mesut Ozil in 2013. Arsenal have since broken their transfer record, signing Alexander Lacazette for €52.5 million (Lyon) in 2017 and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) for €64 million in 2018.

Back to Liverpool and Neuhaus. After failing to challenge for the Premier League last season, Liverpool are looking to bolster their side this summer so that they can stand a chance of winning a second league title in three seasons next term.

Neuhaus established himself as a quality performer for Mönchengladbach last season as he went on to make 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight goals. Liverpool have been linked with German midfielder this summer and are expected to make an offer.

However, if the reported exit clause has expired, then the Reds will have to pay a higher fee than what Arsenal paid for Xhaka. Neuhaus will reportedly have a €40 million exit clause next summer – and we’ll see this summer if Jurgen Klopp wants to sign the player or risk getting into a bidding war with other clubs next summer.

His consistency last season earned him a call-up to the German team last September as he earned a call-up for the UEFA Nations League games against Spain and Switzerland.

Neuhaus is now at a stage of his career where he should be playing European football and so he will be tempted to leave Borussia Mönchengladbach at this point of his career.

Meanwhile, another player that has been linked to Liverpool is Hoffenheim’s Christoph Baumgartner.

The midfielder has been a first-team regular for Hoffenheim over the past two seasons and is now ready for a new chapter in his career.

The 21-year-old could be a good long-term investment for the Reds as they look to fill the void that was created by the departure of Georginio Wijnaldum. The Dutchman ended his five-year spell with the Reds at the end of the past season.

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