Liverpool Transfer News: Latest Mateo Kovacic Rumours, Joe Gomez Deal Close

Liverpool have reportedly had their offer of Mateo Kovacic for Mario Balotelli plus cash rejected by Internazionale.

According to Italian news publication Corriere dello Sport (h/t Jamie Anderson of the Daily Star), the package was put together in an attempt to match the Nerazzurri’s apparent £21 million valuation of the Croatian playmaker.

The piece claims the San Siro outfit rejected the offer, as Roberto Mancini wants the full amount up front to pursue a new winger.

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Here’s what Liverpool could potentially be getting should they convince Inter to relinquish their 21-year-old star:

Kovacic is the kind of talent who could prompt a charge toward the UEFA Champions League for the Reds, so it’s understandable why Inter are so keen on resisting any offers.

The Croatia international is a tremendous technician. Stand off him, and Kovacic possesses the talent to thread a pass through packed defences. Try to press him, and the midfielder will drop a shoulder and waltz by.

He’s the kind of talent who would add another desirable dimension to this Liverpool midfield for sure. But as noted by Ben McAleer of WhoScored.com, he’s also a player who still has improvements to make in his game:

It seems as though it’s going to take a gargantuan effort to prise Kovacic away from Milan too. “I signed a new contract some months ago and I want to stay here,” he recently told Sky Italia, per Anderson’s piece. “Right now, yes [I want to stay], but you can never say never.”

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According to David Anderson of the Daily Mirror, Liverpool aren’t even interested in the player:

Kovacic isn’t an essential purchase for the Reds. With Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic, the club have a wealth of intricate midfield players—even if Kovacic is a class above the current options, aside from perhaps Coutinho.

All things considered—especially Inter’s apparent reluctance to sell as well as the player’s admission that he’s happy with the Serie A giants—a deal seems unlikely at this juncture.

Reds to Complete Joe Gomez Capture

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Liverpool have reportedly staved off competition from some of European football’s most illustrious names to land Charlton Athletic’s prodigious young talent, Joe Gomez.

According to Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo, a deal will be “completed early next week” for a figure around the £6 million mark. Jones also claims that in addition to interest from Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa, Bundesliga outfits Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim were keen on landing the 18-year-old defender.

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Jones notes that Gomez feels confident he can become an important squad member immediately at Anfield and will do his utmost to impress in pre-season.

If he does stick around instead of going out on loan, there could be some knock-on effects. Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe took a look at how Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers could reshape his squad this summer:

Gomez has all the requisite attributes to blossom into a top defender. Not only is he a versatile talent capable of operating on the right or at the heart of a back four, he’s physically commanding, tenacious in the tackle and a brilliant reader of the game.

Liverpool expert Jay Riley is hoping the youngster can replicate the positive influence John Stones, another talented young defender signed from a Championship team, has had at Everton across Stanley Park:

If Gomez does impress sufficiently to suggest he can play a big part in Liverpool’s 2015-16 campaign, the Premier League would potentially present a steep learning curve. But even if the teenager does go out on loan, this is the kind of signing the Reds should always be looking to make with the club's long-term future in mind.

Granted, the acquisition of players like James Milner and Danny Ings has left some Reds supporters somewhat underwhelmed, and this acquisition will do little to sate ambitions of big-name purchases.

But Liverpool have always held a reputation for having the brightest English talent in the game on their books. Gomez, it would seem, has the quality to be one of the very best.