Liverpool Transfer News: Nathaniel Clyne Move Set, Asier Illarramendi Rumours

Nathaniel Clyne’s move to Liverpool will take a step closer to being finalised on Monday, with the right-back set to undergo a medical.

As noted by Sam Cunningham of the MailOnline, the Southampton star is poised to join the Merseyside giants in a £12.5 million switch—with an initial outlay of £10 million—becoming the Reds’ sixth signing of a frenetic summer of transfer activity.

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Clyne will finally abate concerns surrounding the Liverpool right-back spot, which has been a major area of weakness, given the injury problems of Jon Flanagan and poor performances put in by Glen Johnson. As we can see here, courtesy of Squawka, defensively, the 24-year-old will add plenty to this Reds outfit:

The Southampton man is a multifaceted talent, though. While he has earned praise aplenty for his determined work at the back, his surges forward on the right flank last season were a hallmark of Saints’ offensive play, as they mesmerised the Premier League with some outstanding performances.

Here’s how he compared with some of the league’s top full-backs last season:

	Clyne	Ivanovic	Zabaleta	Coleman
Apps (Sub)	35	38	29	34 (1)
Goals	2	4	1	3
Assists	0	5	4	2
Tackles per Game	3.3	2.3	3.7	1.5
Interceptions per Game	1.8	1	2	1.1
Dribbles per Game	0.8	0.8	0.2	1.4
Key Passes per Game	0.6	0.9	0.9	1

To land Clyne for a maximum of £12.5 million represents brilliant business from the Anfield club, especially for an English player who is already well acquainted with the rigorous and abrasive nature of the Premier League. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is excited about the capture:

Assuming the deal will be done, signing Clyne is also a major statement of intent. For long spells last season, the Englishman was the standout full-back in the Premier League. Provided he can slot seamlessly into this Reds side, Brendan Rodgers looks like he may have pulled off one of the coups of the summer window so far.

Asier Illarramendi Bid

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Liverpool’s summer splurge could see the club turn to out-of-favour Real Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi, with the Reds set to bid £15 million for the 25-year-old.

That’s according Alex Harris of the Daily Star, who claims that the Anfield club have already had a £10.6 million bid for the Spaniard rejected. But it seems Rodgers is desperate to land the former Real Sociedad star and an improved offer of £15 million plus add-ons will “convince the Spanish giants to do business.”

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

If Illarramendi was to make the switch to Anfield, he’d form part of a new-look Liverpool midfield that features James Milner and marquee capture Roberto Firmino. Bleacher Report’s Graham Ruthven recently took a close look at how the latter is likely to fare in English football next season:

Signing a player of Illarramendi’s class would certainly enrich the levels of those playing front of him. The Real Madrid man was a lynchpin in midfield during his days at La Real, marshalling in front of the back four with defensive intent and pinging the ball about the pitch when in possession—not too dissimilar to former Liverpool and Madrid star Xabi Alonso.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Many expected Illarramendi to eventually fill the void left by the veteran midfielder's move to Bayern Munich, but instead of growing as a player at the Santiago Bernabeu, his stock has fallen badly. Nonetheless, Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe thinks he’d be a brilliant signing for the Reds:

While it’s important Rodgers doesn’t give himself too many options in midfield, if this signing was to go ahead, Illarramendi would give Liverpool something completely different.

The £15 million fee may seem a princely sum for a player who has scarcely featured in recent seasons, but if he gets some first-team football under his belt, the Spaniard could start showing the kind of attributes that led the Liga giants to spend big to land him in the first place.