Everton are among several clubs showing interest in former Liverpool defender Joel Matip as the 32-year-old is still without a club having left Anfield at the end of last season. 

The centre-back joined Liverpool in 2016 as a free agent and witnessed the whole Jurgen Klopp era at the Merseyside club, winning every trophy possible at Anfield.

Matip was a fan favourite with the Reds and went on to feature 201 times, scoring 11 goals and assisting a further six. The defender would have racked up more appearances but his time with the Premier League giants was plagued by injuries, which stopped him from reaching his true potential.

Having left Liverpool at the end of last season, Matip is currently looking for his next club and sources have told CaughtOffside that Everton, Fulham and Bayer Leverkusen are all competing for the 32-year-old’s signature.

The player’s agents have already met with all three clubs, who now have all the information about the defender’s situation.

The interest of Everton is particularly intriguing given Matip’s recent Liverpool history and it will be interesting to see if the centre-back opts to continue his career on Merseyside.

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Everton showing interest in former Liverpool star Joel Matip

Everton will make a move for Joel Matip should Michael Keane and Mason Holgate leave the Toffees over the coming weeks. The future of Jarrad Branthwaite is also uncertain at Goodison Park and Sean Dyche will not want to find himself in a situation where he is short on central defenders.

The Premier League club face competition for Matip from both Fulham and Bayer Leverkusen.

Fulham are anticipating a potential gap in their defence as Tim Ream could leave Craven Cottage by the end of the summer transfer window. Matip’s experience and leadership qualities are seen as the perfect replacement should the 36-year-old part ways with the London club.

Bayer Leverkusen are prioritising the transfer of Matip at the request of their coach Xabi Alonso and are the most serious club in the race.  The Bundesliga giants hope to have a deal for the former Liverpool star completed later this week as the centre-back will be eager to join a squad with the season so close to getting underway.

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Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip is being considered by German champions Bayer Leverkusen if Jonathan Tah or another centre back leaves according to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg.

Matip is currently without a club having left Liverpool this summer after his contract with the Reds expired.

The 32-year-old arrived at Anfield from German club Schalke in 2016 and had a decorated career with the club which saw him with both the Premier League and Champions League.

Matip a target for Leverkusen

The defender is currently assessing his options before deciding on the next chapter of his career, and he’s thought to have a number of clubs interested in him.

Plettenberg has issued an update on Matip’s future and has reported Leverkusen are considering him as a top alternative if Tah or another centre back were to leave this summer.

He took to X.com and said:

“Joel #Matip, one of the top alternatives for Bayer 04 Leverkusen in case that Jonathan Tah or another central defender will leave the club – as revealed! Very positive talks.

“Matip can really imagine to join Leverkusen as a free agent. No total verbal agreement but he could sign a contract at least until 2026. But: 32 y/o former Liverpool defender with more concrete options. Not only Leverkusen.”

?? Joel #Matip, one of the top alternatives for Bayer 04 Leverkusen in case that Jonathan Tah or another central defender will leave the club – as revealed!

? Very positive talks. Matip can really imagine to join Leverkusen as a free agent. No total verbal agreement but he… pic.twitter.com/pvDSTC6wll

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 4, 2024

Tah has been strongly linked with a move to Bayern Munich, but that move has yet to materialise, whilst club’s have reportedly also expressed interest in 22-year-old Piero Hincapie.

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Towards the end of his time at Anfield he was hampered by injury issues and was limited to just 14 appearances in all competitions in his final season for the club.

However, Matip was a reliable performer for Liverpool and in total made 201 appearances, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists.

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Joel Matip is set to stay in the Premier League after his exit from Liverpool this summer.

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According to The Sun, the centre-back is being eyed for a move by Bournemouth as well as Championship club Southampton.

The 32-year-old defender called time on his Anfield career after an eight year spell at the club.

His last season was severely affected by fitness issues as he missed a major part of his farewell season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The centre-back was one of Jurgen Klopp’s first signings at Liverpool and since his move to the club, he helped them win a number of trophies.

The defender formed a formidable partnership with Virgil Van Dijk and they provided stability and strength to the Liverpool team with their defensive talent.

The former Schalke defender won the Premier League and the Champions League title with Liverpool during his time at Anfield.

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The player is a top transfer target for Bournemouth, and manager Andoni Iraola thinks he may help lead his team to the next level.

Southampton, who are fighting for a place in the Premier League against Leeds United, are also monitoring the defender, according to the report.

If they can manage to return to the Premier League, they would target a move for Matip.

Clubs in England could face competition for the defender from clubs in Spain and Germany.

Due to his experience, he can be a clever signing for Bournemouth or Southampton.

Matip has shown his class as a defender at Liverpool

If he can manage to avoid injuries, his signing as a free agent could prove to be useful for any club.

The defender is known for his reading of the game and his pin-point tackles. He may not be the fastest defender but he is a calming influence at the back.

Liverpool fans will have fond memories of the centre-back, who performed consistently for the Reds whenever given an opportunity.

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Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are all interested in the brilliant 18-year-old French defender, Leny Yoro, from Lille according to CaughtOffside sources with knowledge of the player’s situation.

The Red Devils have long prioritised a central defender as a summer transfer option, and their need is more acute now in order that they’re able to replace outgoing French defender, Raphael Varane.

Leny Yoro in demand across Europe

There are other names on United’s list in case they’re unable to secure Yoro, such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Odilon Kossounou, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo and Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly.

Mikel Arteta also wants to sign a defender for Arsenal, and Leny Yoro is certainly one of the names that the Spaniard appreciates.

With the news breaking on Friday that Joel Matip will leave Liverpool after the final game of the 2023/24 season, not to mention speculation over Virgil van Dijk’s future, the Reds will also clearly be in need of a quality exponent.

CaughtOffside sources suggest that van Djik and Matip continue to attract the interest of clubs from Europe and the Saudi Pro league.

All of the Premier League clubs that are currently tracking Yoro appear to be waiting to discover if the player is interested in joining PSG or Real Madrid in the first instance, before making a bid for the his services.

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That’s because PSG and Real Madrid have been following the French defender’s situation for a long time, and will again hold talks with Lille during the summer transfer window.

It’s believed that Lille will accept offers of €45/50m for the Frenchman, though given that he’s clearly so sought after, the price could well be pushed up well beyond that.

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This article was originally published on the Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Neil Jones’ exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service at thedailybriefing.io

How Arne Slot moved into pole position for the Liverpool job as announcement imminent

It is just a matter of time now before Arne Slot is confirmed as Liverpool’s next manager, with everything agreed between both the clubs and the man himself.

For me, it is a very interesting appointment, and one which speaks both of the lack of truly outstanding candidates available at this stage, as well as Liverpool’s willingness to take a risk.

As soon as Jurgen Klopp announced his intention to step down, and even before then, the Reds were working round-the-clock to identify the right replacement. From the outset, they insisted that it would be a thorough and private process, led to a large degree by the club’s data department.

Xabi Alonso, I understand, was always considered a strong candidate, but Liverpool always felt there was a chance he would either choose to stay at Bayer Leverkusen or be tempted by a move elsewhere (Bayern Munich). As it happened, he went for the former option.

Ruben Amorim was strongly linked, and is understood to have shown up well during the due diligence process, but sources always insisted that the suggestion that he was a ‘preferred’ candidate was incorrect, and as I believe it, discussions never reached an advanced stage. The same can be said for any number of other candidates – Roberto De Zerbi, Gary O’Neil, Unai Emery.

Slot’s appeal is that he has achieved success at two different clubs, both of whom have punched above their weight with him as manager. He has not had huge sums to spend, or players on huge wages, and he has been able to stamp his authority on the team in terms of a clearly-defined style of play, as well as impressive communication skills. Those points all ensured he was eventually deemed ‘the one’, albeit in an imperfect field.

Why Slot won’t be another Erik ten Hag

My thoughts on Slot tally with my thoughts on Liverpool’s squad in general, if I’m being honest. I’m reasonably enthused by him, but I’m also aware that having a lot of ‘potential’ to talk about comes with the potential for disappointment too.

The fact that Slot has consistently had Feyenoord in a position to compete for, and win, trophies, is big positive. He has experienced title races, he has felt that pressure, he has been to a European final and felt the weight of expectation and scrutiny. That can only be a good thing, even if the demands, expectation, scrutiny and pressure will be far greater on Merseyside than in Rotterdam.

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What should help him significantly, as opposed to say, Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, is that he is arriving into a club that has clear parameters in terms of its recruitment strategy, has a squad whose core is at the right age to develop and improve with good coaching, and which has Champions League football to look forward to. He has good, established executives working above him, and that should enable him to focus on what he is best at – coaching.

In terms of expectations, I think it will obviously be a challenge for him to ‘replace’ Klopp, but he has been left a good squad of players and a team that will break 80 points in the Premier League, and which has shown itself capable of competing with anybody on any given day. A top-four finish is essential, but if he can start well and if the club can get the right additions in over the summer, then there is no reason to put any kind of ceiling on Liverpool’s ambitions going forward. If Klopp taught them anything, it is that daring to dream is what football should always be about.

The table doesn’t lie – Liverpool look set to finish where they ultimately deserve to

If we want to take a cold-blooded look at Liverpool’s Premier League season, you’d say they ultimately ended up about where they should have.

Are they a better team than Manchester City? No, they’re not. Are they better than this Arsenal side? No, they’re not. They can beat either of them on their day, and just about anyone else too, but the brutal truth is that this is a side that scrapped its way into an unexpected title challenge, but one which ultimately didn’t quite have the tools to sustain it.

The frustration, of course, is that having done all that scrapping, and having over-delivered until March/April, they eventually fell short in games they would have expected to win. Beating Manchester United, Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace should not have been beyond them, and Liverpool only needed to beat two of those to be right in the mix heading into these final games.

I reject completely the idea that Klopp’s mid-season announcement played any part in the failures of April. Firstly, how could he have kept a lid on such a story, given Liverpool would have needed to identify and appoint his successor?

And secondly, where were these hot takes when Liverpool were flying, winning the Carabao Cup despite an injury crisis, zooming to the top of the table and giving Manchester City hell, denied a vital victory only by a very questionable refereeing decision at Anfield? It is easy now to point and say Klopp’s exit has destabilised Liverpool, but it’s not true. What has cost them has been poor performances, and there were plenty of those even before he made his January announcement.

Liverpool want a young centre-back this summer – names to watch out for…

It is clear to me that Liverpool need to sign a centre-back this summer. The emergence of Jarell Quansah has been one of the big positives of this season, but the likely exit of Joel Matip in the summer and the fact that Joe Gomez has been used almost exclusively as a full-back for the past 18 months means that there is too much dependence on Virgil van Dijk, and on Ibrahima Konate, whose fitness record is questionable and whose form has been mixed in this campaign.

Another option there is essential, for my money. We know that Levi Colwill and Piero Hincapie are two players that have been admired in the past, and that Antonio Silva of Benfica is another. Recent links to Willian Pacho have substance, too.

I like Jarrad Branthwaite at Everton a lot, but I’d suggest that’s a no-go given the two clubs’ relationship! Personally, I’d be amazed if all of Europe’s top clubs are not looking at Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi right now. He looks a superstar in the making, to me, and though the Catalans don’t tend to sell La Masia products, their messy financial situation might make it a little easier to force their hand here.

At 17, the sky is the limit for that lad.

Darwin Nunez could have interest but Liverpool won’t sell on the cheap

Firstly, I’d be amazed if Barcelona were willing to pay whatever it would take to sign Darwin Nunez this summer. They have huge issues to sort out behind the scenes, without committing that sort of money to a new No.9.

But from a Liverpool perspective, I think the Uruguayan is perhaps the most interesting case, heading into the summer window.

I’d keep him, personally. I think he has more upside than downside going forward – 31 goal involvements this season is, well, pretty decent, right?! – and I think he has the mentality to handle both the change of manager and the criticism that has come his way in recent weeks. He misses too many chances, I know, and there are times when he has to be tidier, smarter and more switched on within games. The fact that he has finished both of his two seasons on Merseyside on the bench shows there are still areas in need of big improvement.

But were Liverpool to look to sell, then I would expect considerable interest. Chelsea enquired about Nunez a year ago, and his reputation across Europe is still strong enough to ensure there would be clubs willing to take the plunge on him. He has the raw ability to be a very good centre-forward, and his ability to get himself into goalscoring positions so regularly means there will be lots of clubs and lots of coaches who will believe that they can be the one to unlock his true potential.

Maybe Arne Slot will be that guy?

The post Liverpool transfer news: Why LFC chose Slot over Amorim, Darwin Nunez future, CB targets & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Liverpool trio Adrian, Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara will all leave Anfield at the end of the season as their contracts are set to expire at the Merseyside club. 

That is according to Football Insider, who reports that the Premier League giants will not offer the trio new deals as they are not a crucial part of the club’s project going forward.

Adrian is the third-choice goalkeeper at Liverpool and is at the club to support Alisson and Caoimhin Kelleher. Joel Matip is a fan favourite at Anfield but has been out of action since before Christmas with a serious knee injury. Thiago is the most talented of the three but the midfielder is very injury prone and has played only five minutes of the current campaign.

Whoever the next manager of Liverpool will not need the trio, while other exits can not be decided until a new coach is in place.

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Liverpool fans will be disappointed to see Joel Matip leave the club

Out of three exits, Matip’s will affect Liverpool fans the most especially the way it is happening. The defender suffered a serious ACL injury back in December and that looks like it will be his last game at Anfield.

The centre-back has been at Liverpool since 2016 and proved to be one of the best signings of the Jurgen Klopp era given the fact that he was free.

At 32, Matip would have struggled for minutes at Liverpool next season with the Premier League club having several young stars in his position, as well as the undroppable Virgil van Dijk. The Reds are also expected to sign a new centre-back this summer and that star will be the replacement for the outgoing fan favourite.

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Liverpool defender Joel Matip will miss the remainder of Liverpool’s season.

The defender tore his ACL during a 4-3 victory against Fulham on December 3, and he has been out of action for the last four months.

Matip has been rehabilitating since he needed surgery. It seems improbable that the 32-year-old will feature in Liverpool’s Premier League title run-in, but he is back jogging on the grass at the AXA Training Centre.

Liverpool manager has bad news for his defender

According to his manager, he is currently making great progress towards becoming fully fit.

Before Thursday night’s match between the Reds and Sheffield United at Anfield, manager Klopp stated, as quoted by the official Liverpool website:

“Joel [is] running – he hates that! But he is able to run again, so that’s good,” the manager stated.

“I think since he got injured this is the best moment because it was very painful in the beginning, very painful for him [but] he got through that and now he is pain-free. But, that now all takes time so I don’t think the season is long enough for him.”

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Matip’s contract is due to expire at the end of this season, so it’s probable that he’s played his last game for the Reds.

If that turns out to be the case, he will have made 201 appearances and won six major trophies by the time his Anfield career ends.

Andy Robertson, meanwhile, is expected to be available against Sheffield United.

The left-back was sidelined for Liverpool’s 2-1 victory against Brighton due to an ankle injury sustained during last week’s 1-0 loss against Northern Ireland for Scotland.

Klopp provided some positive update for Liverpool players

During his pre-Sheffield United press conference, Klopp provided an otherwise encouraging report on injuries elsewhere, noting that Curtis Jones was back and that Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Diogo Jota were getting closer to returning.

After wins for Manchester City and Arsenal on Wednesday, Liverpool cannot slip up against Sheffield United in their match on Thursday.

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With Liverpool sat proudly at the top of the Premier League table with the best defensive record of all 20 teams and having just qualified for another Carabao Cup final, Jurgen Klopp can feel rightly pleased with the job done so far.

The German presided over a fairly lacklustre 2022/23 campaign for the Reds, and when the likes of Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson et al moved on to pastures new last summer, there was a very real possibility that Klopp would struggle to get Liverpool back on their perch.

Any worries before the 2023/24 season started were quickly dispelled, however, and at this stage of the current campaign, Liverpool are absolutely the team to beat.

Despite this evident ‘re-birth,’ the manager and his backroom staff appear to still be looking ahead in order to ensure continuity of performance.

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According to the Daily Mirror, one player that they have their eye on is Crystal Palace’s England international defender, Marc Guehi.

The outlet suggest that Guehi could be signed by the Reds as a longer-term replacement for Joel Matip, though there is a tacit acknowledgment that captain, Virgil van Dijk, is getting no younger.

The Eagles certainly won’t allow the player to move on the cheap, and in the current market it’s anyone’s guess what the asking price may be.

However, that’s unlikely to deter Liverpool, particularly if they end the season with at least one piece of silverware, thus presenting an attractive proposition to any prospective signing.

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Liverpool have made contact with the agents of some central defenders as they explore the market for a potential signing in that position, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that the Reds have some interest in defensive signings this January, though it’s not necessarily an urgent priority and could wait until the summer, when the Merseyside giants tend to prefer to do their business.

Still, some contacts have taken place with players’ agents, though Romano did not have any specific names for the moment, with Liverpool presumably not getting into anything particularly concrete or advanced with any particular target just yet.

It makes sense, however, for Jurgen Klopp and co. to perhaps start thinking about finding a young defender to come in and eventually help replace ageing duo Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, with the latter of those two also set to be out of contract at Anfield in the summer.

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Discussing the latest Liverpool transfer news, Romano said: “As mentioned yesterday, Liverpool are exploring the market for potential new signings at centre-back, though it’s not something urgent or guaranteed to happen this January, as we know Liverpool generally prefer to do their business in the summer.

“I don’t have any concrete name yet at this stage, but I was just told that Liverpool have made some calls to some centre-backs’ agents to be informed on situations – it hasn’t become a concrete negotiation as of now. It’s not easy to find top players in the January window, that’s the problem.”

The post Exclusive: “Liverpool have made some calls” – LFC agent contacts revealed by transfer expert appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez may have recently been linked as a transfer target for Saudi Pro League club Al Ettifaq, but it seems that Fabrizio Romano believes the Reds don’t want to sell him.

Ben Jacobs previously reported for CaughtOffside that Gomez was one of a number of names discussed by Al Ettifaq and their manager Steven Gerrard in a recent meeting, along with fellow Liverpool defender Joel Matip.

However, now Romano has provided an update, exclusively telling CaughtOffside, as part of his Daily Briefing column, that Liverpool’s stance is that Gomez is not for sale, with the 26-year-old looking set to stay at Anfield.

Matip, however, could be one to watch for the end of the season, according to Romano, even if he won’t be making the move away from LFC this month.

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Discussing these players in his latest column, Romano said: “Despite talk of a possible move to Al Ettifaq, Joel Matip won’t leave Liverpool now. In the summer it could be different and interest from Saudi can attract him. I also don’t see Joe Gomez leaving, he’s staying.”

Matip has been a great servant to Liverpool but it might well be time for him to move on at the end of this season, though Gomez surely still has a role to play as a valuable squad player for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

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