With a move for Udinese winger Piotr Zielinski seemingly stalled, Liverpool have been linked with a number of alternatives to the Polish international after the last couple of weeks. After seeing reported target Emre Mor confirm a move to Borussia Dortmund yesterday, focus has very much switched to Anderlecht’s Belgian wide-man Samuel Bastien, but with a number of clubs apparently interested in the 19-year old, his agent has played down speculation that the Reds have lodged a bid for his services.
“Maybe Liverpool talked directly with Anderlecht’s general manager, but Benfica also made an official offer,” his representative Franklin Mala-Makani told online news outlet SportWitness when asked if there was interest in his client from Anfield. “We will see because the general manager from Anderlecht comes back from small vacation and then we will know more this week.”
Liverpool are suspected to be in the market for a winger with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp having repeatedly complained about a lack of true width in the squad. After less than impressive seasons, the future of Jordon Ibe, who is reported target for a number of Premier League clubs, and Lazar Markovic, who spent the year on loan with Turkish side Fenerbahce, remain up in the air. That, of course, doesn’t mean all that much though as the Anfield outfit remain tight lipped regarding their transfer plans — and, apparently, Bastien isn’t saying too much either.
“For the moment, he [Bastien] said nothing,” said Mala-Makani when asked if the Merseysiders had indeed made contact. “But we will talk when it becomes official from Liverpool football club,” he added, keen to not rule out the possibility of a move to Anfield for his client. “We prefer to talk about an official offer.”
