Liverpool lead race for £34m midfield wonderkid as Spurs suffer £13m defender blow

Welcome to the daily transfer round up, where we’ll get straight down to business – if you’re a Liverpool fan, there is good news and bad news. If you’re a Tottenham Hotspur fan, on the other hand, there is only bad news. Business as usual then, really. Some things even Ange Postecoglou can’t change.

Let’s start with the bad news for both teams, because it revolves around their mutual target Ko Itakura, the Japanese defender who has impressed at Borussia Mönchengladbach since signing from Manchester City back in 2022. The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to both sides since the start of January, but if Sport Witness have their facts right then they will have to wait until the summer. And yes, we know that photo has him in a Schalke jersey. Somehow, we haven't got a more recent one. Just change the colour of the top and add a couple of very faint wrinkles in your head, and you'll get the gist.

Itakaru has a release clause, believed to be worth up to €15m (£12.9m) but only becomes active in the summer, apparently. Mönchengladbach could conceivably be pressed into selling sooner, of course, but it would presumably take quite a lot more money. In these budget-conscious times, it seems probable that both Liverpool and Spurs will prefer to keep their belts tightened for the time being.

The 3AM Verdict: Itakura is a very useful all-round defender – comfortable with the ball at his feet, a good passer and with a strong positional sense, so for less than £13m he’d almost certainly represent a serious bargain, so that will encourage both teams to hang fire for a few months. Spurs have at least brought Radu Drăgușin in to provide defensive cover, but Liverpool are walking a thinner line in terms of squad depth, so it will be interesting to see if they make a move elsewhere.

Liverpool lead the way for Ukrainian wonderkid

Now to the good news for Liverpool supporters – they appear to be in pole position to land the hugely promising Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov (or Georgiy, depending on who you ask). The 21-year-old, already a 12-cap international for Ukraine, is considered pretty hot property right now and apparently the Reds asked about him in the summer – but they are now firming their interest up before making a move later in the year.

Sport Witness cite reports from Italy which say that while plenty of big teams are interested, including Juventus, Napoli, Barcelona and Manchester City, it’s Liverpool “above all” at the moment, and Jürgen Klopp seems to be the most likely next manager for a very exciting young player. He won’t come cheap, however – apparently Shakhtar are “demanding at least €40m (£34.3m).”

The 3AM Verdict: A technically-gifted attacking midfielder with bags of potential, Sudakov registered 12 goal contributions as Shakhtar won the Ukrainian Premier League last year and apparently “continues to amaze” according to the article. He’s a good passer, strong dribbler, knows where the net is and can be very dangerous around the box, but it will be interesting to see whether Liverpool decide he’s worth such a substantial investment. Based on his international performances so far, it’s a pretty close decision.

Chelsea considering splash for Saudi star

Having been linked with every other player ever to wear a number nine shirt over the past few years, it only makes sense that Chelsea should finally find themselves rumoured to be lining up a blockbuster bid for one of the best to do it over the last decade – Karim Benzema.

The former Real Madrid star is one of several top players reported to be unhappy with life in Saudi Arabia, and Football Fancast reckon that Chelsea could line up a bid, although if we’re honest they’re rather hazy on the details. Still, it worked for Jordan Henderson. They do also note that apparently Arsenal might try to bag Benzema on a loan deal, too, so Chelsea could face some stiff competition for a seriously starry short-term signing.

The 3AM Verdict: As Henderson’s move to Ajax has proved, there are very few ground rules when it comes to escaping from the Saudi Pro League – so frankly, Chelsea or Arsenal seem just as likely destinations as anywhere else. Or he could wind up somewhere completely different. Either way, Benzema’s paymasters might not want him hanging around and kicking up a stink. He scored nine goals in 15 SPL games since joining Al-Ittihad, which implies that he’s still ‘got it’, but he’s also been barracked by fans for a supposed lack of effort. Still, a short-term deal would be pretty low risk, high reward.