Liverpool have made Jeremie Frimpong one of their top targets for the summer transfer window, but their pursuit of the Netherlands international has now hit a major snag
Liverpool’s pursuit of Jeremie Frimpong appears to have hit a snag, with Bayer Leverkusen’s managing director denying a deal is close. Frimpong has starred for Leverkusen since joining the German side from Celtic in January 2021.
He played in 47 games as they completed the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double last season as Invincibles, a German first. The defender has also been named in three successive Bundesliga Team of the Years, having earlier won a domestic treble with Celtic.
The Dutchman has again been a key man under Xabi Alonso this season, though it has been a disappointing campaign. It appears the current Leverkusen squad may well be split up in the summer as Europe’s top clubs swoop in for their stars.
Even boss Alonso is departing, with the Spaniard set to be named the new manager of Real Madrid. Frimpong still has three years remaining on his contract, but the 24-year-old is also attracting interest.
Liverpool are the current frontrunners to sign him, as boss Arne Slot seeks to boost his defensive options amid the impending exit of Trent Alexander-Arnold. But a spanner has now been thrown into the works.
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Leverkusen chief Fernando Carro has hit out at the transfer rumours that are beginning to dog his team. He also insisted that the Bundesliga side are ‘unaware’ of any impending transfer involving Frimpong.
“Jeremie Frimpong has a long contract with us, which also has an exit clause, but we are currently unaware of any transfer,” Carro told sport.de. “The rumors surprised me a bit when I started in the football business seven years ago.
“As I’ve gradually become more involved, there are always different interested parties, there are different parties, there are different relationships. It’s actually quite difficult to figure out where the rumors come from, but I have to say, there are many that really surprise me.”
Leverkusen’s unwillingness to sell Frimpong will come as an early blow to Liverpool’s summer plans. Frimpong would provide competition for academy graduate Conor Bradley, who is expected to take Alexander-Arnold’s place full-time.
It has been claimed that Frimpong has agreed to move to Anfield, with the 24-year-old having a £29.5million release clause in his contract. If a deal for the Dutchman comes to fruition, it would surprise former Manchester City star Micah Richards.
“It’s a tough one because when another right-back comes in, it can help you by helping you raise your game, or it can hinder you because you can lose your confidence a little bit,” he told The Rest Is Football podcast.
“Another right-back would help, but if Frimpong comes in, he’s No. 1, which could be difficult for Bradley to deal with. I think Bradley is very good. He’s good going forward, he’s intelligent with his runs, and he can do the one-on-one defending as well.
“The only question mark is whether he could do it on a consistent basis. When he came into the team in place of Trent, the mindset of a sub is different to a starter.”
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