Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Nathaniel Clyne, Aymen Abdennour Rumours

Nathaniel Clyne will finalise his £12.5 million transfer from Southampton to Liverpool on Tuesday after completing a medical.

That’s according to Ian Whittell of the Daily Star, who wrote that the Reds “will complete the formalities” of the deal before confirming the England international as a Liverpool player. Clyne will be the sixth new face to agree a deal with the Anfield outfit this summer, with the Reds moving quickly to bolster their squad for the 2015-15 season.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Brassell thinks that the capture of Clyne could be the best of the lot:

For a player that’s established himself as one of the top full-backs in English football, £12.5 million is a meagre fee.

Southampton were an energetic and often impenetrable unit last season and Clyne’s defensive skills were absolutely vital to the club’s cause. As we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com, the full-back loves a tackle:

But defensive solidity isn’t the only thing Clyne will add. Anyone who watched Saints last season couldn’t have helped but notice the scorching vertical surges from the 24-year-old stationed on the right flank and his ability to provide width will be a key attacking weapon for Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.

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It’s only natural that with so many signings drafted in already, Liverpool supporters are beginning to ponder what their first XI may look like next season. Empire of the Kop put its opinion forward and for those of a red persuasion it's a tantalising proposition:

Clyne’s capture will be another savvy acquisition for Liverpool, and after finishing the season under immense pressure, Rodgers and the board deserve major credit for the swift deals they’ve conducted to this point.

The defender will help solve an issue that prompted various formation changes from the Liverpool manager last season. But Clyne’s consistency, ability and unrelenting industry should ensure this is a slot of the team which the Anfield faithful no longer have to worry about.

Liverpool Chasing Aymen Abdennour

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One other area of lingering concern in this Liverpool squad is in the centre of the defence. But it seems as though the Reds are willing to move to alleviate worries about this position too, with reports linking them with a move for Monaco star Aymen Abdennour.

That’s according to Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Mirror, who claims that Rodgers wants to make the 25-year-old centre-back his seventh summer signing. Kajumba also claims that the defender is valued at around £13.5 million and that both West Ham United and Newcastle United are also interested in signing him.

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As noted by the aforementioned piece, the player’s agent, Abdelkader Jilani, has also cited interest of the Merseysiders previously: “They are one of the interested parties, like Milan, Inter, Juventus and Liverpool.”

The Tunisian defender has been mightily impressive at the core of this defensively sound Monaco side and would add an uncompromising streak to this Liverpool back line. Here’s how he compares against the Reds’ current first-choice defenders:

	Abdennour	Skrtel	Sakho
Apps (Sub)	17 (1)	33	15 (1)
Goals	0	1	0
Tackles per game	1.3	1.2	1.9
Interceptions per game	2.2	1.7	1.6
Blocks per Game	0.5	1.2	0.3
Clearances per Game	5.8	9.5	5.9

Abdennour is a player that’s very much in the mode of the modern defender. While he is forceful when attacking the ball and ferocious in the tackle, there’s a composure about his work too, especially when in possession.

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Occasionally the Tunisian can overstep the mark and that could potentially be a concern in the cut-throat environment of the Premier League. But for Liverpool he would add some vital solidity to a flimsy area of the team; if the Reds can secure a deal, it’d prove to be another coup for Rodgers in an already prosperous window.