By the sounds of it, talks between Liverpool and Shakhtar Donetsk over the potential transfer of Alex Teixeira continue to rumble on with the Ukrainian club apparently willing to play ball with the Reds for the 26-year old, but as expected, only if the Anfield outfit up their opening bid of around £24.5mil for his services.
While the Miners had reportedly told Chelsea back in the autumn that the Brazilian would cost them in the region of £40mil, rumour has it that’ll they’ve lowered that valuation somewhat with bids in the region of £30mil more their speed with Shakhtar no longer comepting in the Champions League and able to rely on the all important cash flow it provides. News that Teixeira has suffered a mild hamstring strain while training in Orlando, Florida will be met with bemusement from Kopites around the world, but whether he’s carrying a knock or not doesn’t seem to be relevant at this time as Liverpool continue to push for a move.
“He is the technical leader of the team and should also be the leader for Brazil,” Miners boss Mircea Lucescu said back in November when speculation around the future of the 26-year old first started to ramp up. “If there is an offer that will satisfy both the player and the club, I will fully support his move,” he continued, seemingly inviting clubs to have a crack at signing him. “I want to see my players perform in the top teams in Europe.”
If the Reds are serious about returning to the Champions League next season, they need to add goals to their game right now. The Anfield outfit have improved under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp since the former Borussia Dortmund manager arrived in October, but their woes in front of the net have yet to be solved with Daniel Sturridge spending much of his time on the treatment table and Christian Benteke looking maligned since his move from Aston Villa during the summer. While there are massive question marks hanging over Teixeira and whether or not he can reproduce the kind of form in England that’s seen him score 26-times in as many matches for the Miners since the start of the campaign, he looks well suited to the style of play that Klopp employs at Liverpool and a lot of the time that’s more important than anything else.
More on this as it develops…
