Liverpool: Shock move for Madrid star; club respond to Coutinho offer; Anfield expansion latest
Spanish sources close to Real Madrid are reporting that Liverpool could be one of three European clubs in contention to sign central defender and club captain Sergio Ramos, as president Florentino Perez has grown fed up by his poor form and believes that the defender is no longer giving his best since signing a new deal in the summer of 2015. Perez is now trying to force Ramos out of the club, with Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich believed to be potential destinations.
Whether or not the Champions League winner would opt for a move to Anfield is unclear and seems unlikely, particularly given that he is bound to be more likely to win league titles at the other two potential destinations. Manchester United have been linked in the past, but it would not be unbelievable if Liverpool were interested given that the Reds are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
Latest reports speculate that Liverpool have responded to one of those aforementioned clubs, PSG, as they have continued to vulture over Phillipe Coutinho. The Reds have reportedly told the club that their Brazilian talent is not available for sale at any price and will be staying on Merseyside, with a new contract likely after the New Year.
Coutinho is arguably the team’s most important player and has shown the ability to create something out of nothing to save his teammates on a number of occasions. Now, Jurgen Klopp will continue to build a side around the Brazilian in what is an important statement that the club is no longer prepared to be a ‘selling club’.
However, fans were disappointed to hear club CEO Ian Ayre tell the media that further stadium expansion at Anfield is unlikely. BBC Sport report that he said:
A stand behind a goal doesn’t have the benefit of hospitality that would go a long way to meet the redevelopment costs… From a purely general admission perspective, building, say, 6,000 extra seats to take the capacity up to 60,000 would cost somewhere between £60m and £70m. At £12,000 to £13,000 per seat, it would take approximately 15 years to pay back, which is not a smart investment for the business.
In a meeting with the Official Liverpool Supporters’ Club, Ayre revealed that the £100 million cost of the new Main Stand is likely to be paid off within six years due to the lucrative contribution from corporate hospitality, something that can’t be offered by the other stands considered for development.
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