Speculation continues to abound over the future of one Liverpool stalwart who’s coveted by a club from the Saudi Pro League this summer.
Al-Nassr have reportedly spoken with Alisson Becker’s representatives about a possible move to the Middle East, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s side also targeting Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.
Speaking on Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former Everton CEO Keith Wyness has talked up the possibility of the Saudi outfit swooping for the Reds’ number one.
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The 66-year-old claimed: “I’ve been to Al Nassr. I’ve seen the stadium and the whole facility, and since Ronaldo joined, they’ve improved things incredibly. There was a lot of construction going on when I was there.
“I hear the potential next move for them could be Alisson. There had been rumours of them coming in for him. I always felt that Alisson, Van Dijk and Salah would be the players to push for a move after Klopp left. I think there could be smoke behind that rumour as well.
“Alisson and Ederson are both in the frame; it could come down to who makes the jump first. Al Nassr are one of the top clubs in Saudi. It would be an interesting situation for both ‘keepers because they’ll be treated well and the league is improving.”
Although Wyness claims that Al-Nassr have a plausible chance of signing Alisson this summer, reports from Rudy Galetti earlier this week (via TEAMtalk) indicated that the goalkeeper isn’t in any rush to leave Europe at this juncture due to concerns that doing so could endanger his status as Brazil’s number one.
The impact that the Saudi Pro League made on the transfer market last year means that no player could be discounted from moving to the Middle East, although the influx towards the Gulf seems considerably quieter now compared to 12 months ago.
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The 31-year-old would be wise to heed the case study of former Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson, who went to Al-Ettifaq last July in a hugely controversial move but swiftly returned to European football with Ajax in January.
Al-Nassr could well attempt every trick in the book to try and lure Alisson to Riyadh, but hopefully the player’s reported determination not to concede his Brazil starting berth too readily will sway him towards staying at Anfield.
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