The UEFA European Championships came to a thrilling close with Italy emerging hard-earned yet deserved victors over Gareth Southgate’s England following a tense penalty shootout in the final held at the Wembley Stadium.
A host of players put out impressive displays over the course of the month-long event this summer and such names are bound to attract major attention from some of the biggest clubs across Europe, one of which will be Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp has so far made only one purchase in the transfer window currently underway with Ibrahima Konate coming in from RB Leipzig in a long-term deal for the Merseysiders to provide Klopp with another solid option at the back.
Also Read – Jurgen Klopp excited over working with new Liverpool signing Ibrahima Konate
Gini Wijnaldum’s exit from Anfield has left the Reds one influential man short in the midfield department and Klopp has been heavily backed to use the market to bring in a fresh face to fill the void left by the now Paris Saint-Germain player.
Liverpool have been linked with some of the players who impressed at the Euros and following their superb run of displays, it remains to be seen whether Jurgen Klopp will be forced to shell out more than he had imagined in the first place.
Let us take a look at 5 such names whose performances for their countries have made them top targets at Anfield –
1. Domenico Berardi
The Italian was in flying form for Roberto Mancini’s men who ran out the victors in the end and Berardi has set off a transfer chase after him with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in the fray.
Serie A outfit Sassuolo are believed to have slapped a €40 million price-tag on the forward but in light of Berardi’s recent displays in the final third of the pitch, Jurgen Klopp could be enticed to splash the cash on the player to shore up his attacking options.
2. Mikkel Damsgaard
Damsgaard nearly sent England out of the European Championships in the semi-finals itself when the young Danish playmaker netted a fantastic free-kick to give his side the lead before The Three Lions pegged back to stage a 2-1 win.
Liverpool are understood to be on the hunt for a new wide player to make up for the imminent loss of Mohammad Salah and Sadio Mane this upcoming January when the Africa Cup of Nations takes place and Damsgaard could be one such name that will be top on Klopp’s shopping list.
Sampdoria signed Mikkel Damsgaard for €7m one year ago, he’s only 21. 🇩🇰
Sampdoria president Ferrero said yesterday: “Damsgaard is not for sale this summer, I’m sorry – unless there's a big offer that can excite us”.
…not less than €40/45m. #Damsgaard
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 7, 2021
The 21-year-old is being scouted by a number of teams across Europe with reports of Sampdoria’s president Massimo Ferrero making it known publically that offers north of €30 million will be entertained by the Serie A side this summer.
3. Renato Sanches
A major target for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool heading into the Euros was the highly-rated Lille midfield man Renato Sanches who was a star turn for Portugal at the competition despite the 2016 winners bowing out in the Last-16 following a defeat to Belgium.
Sanches has Liverpool and FC Barcelona interested in his signature but Klopp will be hoping that the Catalan giants pull the plug on any potential approach for the former Bayern Munich starlet owing to their ever-increasing issues on the financial front.
4. Lorenzo Insigne
Another Italian who Jurgen Klopp will be keeping tabs on after the Euros have concluded is the much experienced Azzuri frontman Lorenzo Insigne whose future at Napoli hangs in the balance beyond the summer.
Insigne’s current deal at the Serie A giants comes to a close at the end of the 2021-22 season and talk of Napoli offloading their star forward for a cut-price fee before that has gained ground in recent times.
5. Kylian Mbappe
Perhaps the most formidable name on this list is that of Paris Saint-Germain and France star striker Kylian Mbappe who endured a rather forgettable Euros campaign with the Les Bleus.
There seems to be intense speculation over the Frenchman’s future at PSG as Liverpool and Real Madrid remain alert to the possibility of a big-money swoop for Mbappe who has been long linked with a move to both European giants.
