Sources: Liverpool transfer business being dictated by homegrown need

By David Lynch, Merseyside Correspondent

14th Apr, 2023 | 3:49pm

Sources: Liverpool exploring the conditions to sign three Chelsea players

Liverpool’s business this summer will be partly dictated by a need to bolster homegrown numbers, sources have told Football Insider.

The Reds expect to lose a number of homegrown-qualified players in the coming transfer window, leaving themselves at risk of falling short of Premier League and European quotas.

And that is driving a concerted push to bring British talent to Anfield before the start of next season.

Jude Bellingham had been Liverpol’s prime target before the scale of their required midfield rebuild and Borussia Dortmund’s hefty asking price became apparent.

Consequently, the Reds have stepped up efforts to sign Mason Mount, the Chelsea star who is nearing the final year of his contract with the club.

It has been suggested that the London club are preparing to slap a £70m price tag on Mount should he opt against signing a new deal this summer.

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However, Football Insider understands Liverpool are hoping to use the midfielder’s perilous contract situation and Chelsea’s need to balance the books after heavy recent spending to strike a more palatable deal.

The same can also be said for two of Mount’s fellow academy graduates, Levi Colwill and Conor Gallagher, who are both liked by the Reds.

They are, at the very least, expected to explore the conditions of deals to sign the pair ahead of a summer in which they are keen to strengthen in both midfield and defence.

Liverpool’s desperate need for homegrown talent has been brought into focus by the likely departure of several players who fit that criteria at the end of this season.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave on a free transfer, while Caoimhin Kelleher and Nathaniel Phillips are expected to seek moves in order to secure more playing time.

James Milner has also yet to decide his future, with a new contract looking increasingly unlikely as the end of the season nears.

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