In recent weeks, Liverpool has been linked with a transfer for Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram.
What happens with Manchester United’s takeover issue could have an impact on Liverpool’s pursuit of OGC Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram.
The 22-year-old, the son of Juventus and Parma star Lilian Thuram, has been linked with a move to Liverpool. Representatives for the young Frenchman are said to have conducted conversations with Liverpool about a possible move to Anfield, as Jurgen Klopp looks to add his second midfield recruit after signing Alexis MacAllister from Brighton & Hove Albion.
According to the French media site L’Equipe, Nice are demanding up to €60 million (£51.4 million) for Thuram this summer, a cost that analysts at the CIES Football Observatory, which employs a range of variables to assess transfer market value, agree with based on their most recent findings.
Other factors, such as what is going on in the background at Nice right now, with the club’s owners, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS, currently in advanced negotiations for a takeover of Manchester United, could have an impact on any deal and willingness to get it done, as well as any leverage that Liverpool might have.
Despite Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s final, take-it-or-leave-it fifth offer to the club’s current owners, the Glazer family, Ratcliffe is said to be the favourite to become the club’s new owner.
According to L’Equipe, as the takeover situation at Old Trafford continues, it is causing some problems at the Allianz Riviera, with Nice’s budget being impacted if the Red Devils’ takeover is accomplished.
According to French media, Nice are looking for as many as five new recruits as they look to improve on their disappointing ninth-place finish in Ligue 1, and with a potentially limited budget available through any potential takeover of Mam United, deciding what to do with their key assets, particularly Thuram and Jean-Clair Todibo, will be critical.
A potential need to sell players to help with a tighter budget next season could play into Liverpool’s hands in a bid for Thuram, giving the Reds some negotiating leverage given that Nice will likely be heavily reliant on recouping money for their stars in order to reinvest in other areas.
Liverpool has frequently sought leverage when entering the transfer market in quest of the right players at the right price. In the case of Luis Diaz’s entrance from Porto in January 2022, the Reds were able to recruit the Colombian for £18m less than his release clause because they made an offer at the end of the window with the promise of a big quick payment. During the negotiations, Porto had debt requirements that needed to be met immediately, and Liverpool were able to meet that demand while negotiating the signing of the winger for a much reduced fee.
Nice will likely play hardball over any deal for Thuram, regardless of who may be the suitor, but as the clock ticks down and uncertainty remains over what will happen if Ratcliffe and INEOS acquire Manchester United, there could well be some room for manoeuvre.
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