According to latest reports, Liverpool are weighing up a bid for Serie A star Lorenzo Insigne, who is rated at a whopping £60 million, as a replacement for the departing Phillipe Coutinho. The Brazilian international has been on the verge of a move to the Catalan giants Barcelona, leaving Liverpool with little time to fill in a void, with the transfer market finishing in just two weeks.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been a long-term admirer of the Italian international and believes that he could be the perfect fit to his counter attacking tactics alongside the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. The player has been in quite a prolific from in front of the goal and possesses incredible speed and skill on the ball.
Although Liverpool are still holding onto their strict stance of not letting Coutinho leave under any circumstances this summer, the playmaker has already handed in a transfer request and is hoping the club readily agrees to let him go. Apparently, Liverpool had known throughout the summer that Coutinho was interested in a move to Barcelona but the club has been unwilling to see his back.
The 25-year-old signed a new five-year deal back in January reiterating that he wanted to stay at Anfield few more years. That move could, however, fetch Liverpool a whopping £100 million now and although Napoli are dead against selling their top player, Liverpool will have the financial resources to tempt them.
Both Napoli and Liverpool play in the Champions League this summer and Insigne wouldn’t mind swapping sides if he gets the right wages. Despite Klopp’s repeated refusal to let Coutinho go, the manager wouldn’t want to risk the temperament of his dressing room that is bound to get affected if Coutinho stays.
On the brighter side, Insigne has all the attributes to take Coutinho’s place at Anfield. The player had managed to score a whopping 20 goals from the attacking midfield for Napoli last season helping them to finish third in Serie A.
Naturally, a central attacking midfielder, the boy from Naples can operate from the flank with equal ease. Possessing one of the most lethal left foot in the business, Insigne can find the top corners from quite a distance, like Coutinho. His strength lies in his tremendous agility and stamina and is, by all means, a man to look out for on the counter attacks.
Although at 162cm, he is too petite a frame to play in the Premier League and runs a risk of getting outmuscled by the gigantic centre halves often, his brilliant dribbling skills should compensate for it. So is he a decent option for Liverpool?
