As Jurgen Klopp struggles to keep all of his stars happy as his attacking options continue to impress whenever they’re present with the opportunity, Calciomercato claim that Juventus are eyeing a move for both Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi as the pair grow unhappy at their lack of first team action as they are restricted to cameo appearances as substitutes as Roberto Firmino retains a central attacking role.
The Reds are unlikely to want to part with either of the forwards and would likely rebuff any such approach, though Klopp may be convinced to part ways with Daniel Sturridge if a lucrative offer was received. Young Belgian Origi is a different matter though, as it seems that neither the club nor the manager would allow him to leave the club regardless of the fee on offer given his impressive form at the tail end of last season.
One forward who has already moved on is controversial striker Mario Balotelli. The Italian was not happy with how he was treated by the club as he headed toward the exit, and he told Sky Italia:
“Klopp doesn’t know me, I spoke to him once, he told me to go somewhere else, work hard and then return. So I said goodbye to them, and that we wouldn’t be seeing each other again. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. They weren’t ideal environments for me. I didn’t make mistakes in terms of my game or my behaviour, but I did get injured and that’s not something I can control.”
Despite scoring just once in the Premier League for Liverpool, Balotelli has scored six times in five Ligue 1 games to send Nice top of the league as they surprise everyone, though he did show a side of his usual self by getting sent off for two yellow card offences in injury time of their clash this weekend.
Balotelli was a £16 million mistake by the club, and calculations by the CIES Football Observatory in Switzerland show that the club currently has the 10th most valuable first team squad in world football. At a value of £311 million, that puts the Reds squad ahead of the likes of Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Inter Milan and Tottenham.
The summer signings of Sadio Mane and Georgino Wijnaldum were both big fee signings which have likely boosted the club’s position in the research, but the club is currently providing good value for money given that they are lower placed than Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Featured Image: All rights reserved by Steve Mcmetha.