Liverpool are still interested in signing Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram, according to reports. Jurgen Klopp added four players to his midfield in the summer transfer window but it is claimed the France international is still on his horizon.
Klopp had to oversee a major overhaul in the summer. The German allowed three midfielders to leave at the end of their contracts, with James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all moving on.
Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were then sold to the Saudi Pro League to leave Klopp short of options. Alexis Mac Allister and Domink Szoboszlai had already arrived, while Wataru Endo was then added in a shock move.
Thuram had been linked with a move to Anfield but the Reds did not push through with their interest. Klopp instead finalised a deal for Ryan Gravenberch, who signed late on deadline day from Bayern Munich.
But Italian outlet Sport Mediaset claims Liverpool are still ‘strongly interested’ in 22-year-old Thuram. The report says Juventus are also interested in signing him but face competition from the Premier League giants.
TuttoJuve, meanwhile, says Thuram is one of Juve’s top targets for the January window. However, Nice’s asking price of between £21.6million and £26m is set to be an issue for the Serie A side.
The Old Lady have struggled financially of late and are not competing in Europe this season. They were banned by UEFA after being found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play.
Juve would have to find the money and also convince Thuram to join them over Liverpool. TuttoJuve says Klopp is still in the market for a player of Thuram’s physical and defensive characteristics.
Klopp has often used Mac Allister in a No 6 role this season but Thuram is more comfortable in that position and would enable the Argentine to thrive further forward. He doesn’t turn 23 until next March but already has 145 first-team appearances under his belt at Nice.
Thuram made his senior debut for France in March in a Euro 2024 qualifier against the Netherlands but hasn’t featured for his country since. He has just over 18 months remaining on his current contract at Nice.
Nice have had a strong start to the campaign, sitting second in Ligue 1 with four wins and four draws from their eight matches. They may attempt to resist a January exit if they are still near the top of the table come that point of the season.
