AS Monaco will now move quickly to try and sign Takumi Minamino, according to reports. Liverpool have a price in mind.
This comes from Foot Mercato in France. They claim that AS Monaco are ready to move quickly for Takumi Minamino, who is allowed to leave Liverpool.
The Reds want between £13m and £17m for the Japan international – which essentially means they want £17m. Monaco would certainly prefer the former fee.
But competition for Minamino could leave them with little choice. The Athletic claimed earlier this week that there are at least four clubs circling the player. The only way to get this one done ASAP is to give Liverpool what they want, then.
And Monaco can do that. Today they completed a deal with Real Madrid for Aurélien Tchouaméni that could reach £85m, per the BBC. Throwing £17m of that towards Merseyside could see Minamino moving to the principality very shortly.
AS Monaco want Takumi Minamino
There was a sense that Minamino might benefit from Sadio Mané’s inevitable departure by taking on a slightly bigger role in the squad. After all, Divock Origi is off, too, and the forward could find himself playing more often.
But it appears that won’t be the case. For one thing, Liverpool will quickly move for Darwin Nunez to replace Mané. Minamino, then, looks likely to depart for what would be a £10m profit.
His value is reasonably high, after all, as he delivered continuously last season. No one at the club scored at a more clinical rate, while Minamino’s goals in the cup competitions were absolutely vital to Liverpool’s success.
Thus this is the time to cash-in on the player. Liverpool won’t give him many more minutes next season and it’s unlikely that he enjoys quite as prolific a season again. He’ll leave without having had a proper go at it, in truth, but for the good of his career, this feels like a great move for Minamino.