Liverpool convinced they can sign £70m defensive midfielder for ‘less than £58m’ – Dom Smith

Liverpool could be set for a flurry of late deals in the summer transfer window ahead of the signing Wataru Endo from Stuttgart.

Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure is understood to remain the Reds’ top defensive midfield target, according to an X post from the Evening Standard’s Dom Smith.

Furthermore, the club is convinced it can snap up the 23-year-old for considerably less than the Eagles’ £70m asking price – a claim that supports reporting conducted by Miguel Delaney on Wednesday.

Cheick Doucouré is Liverpool's number one target as a No6. Crystal Palace value him at around £70m, while #LFC believe they can sign him for less than £58m. #CPFC desperate to keep him.

João Palhinha and Khephren Thuram also linked with Liverpool.https://t.co/tNeDWGrGbo

— Dom Smith (@MrDomSmith) August 17, 2023

With a fee agreed for over £21m (including bonuses) for Stuttgart’s experienced operator, a further package totalling around the £60m mark would, theoretically, still leave Liverpool with enough of a transfer kitty to pursue a left-sided centre-half.

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It remains to be seen whether a reduction in the asking price can indeed be agreed, and one would imagine that the balance of negotiating power rests somewhat firmly in Roy Hodgson’s outfit’s court in light of our own pressing need, the public nature of our budget and Doucoure’s long-term contract (expiring in 2027).

To then negotiate under the £70m mark would represent quite the coup on our part.

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