Youri Tielemans and Ivan Toney tipped for Liverpool switch

The transfer window has been open for several weeks, but it will only start to gather some momentum now that Euro 2020 has come to an end. Liverpool fans will be aware the club has been linked with certain players with some regularity this summer – Saul Niguez being just one example.

Other suggestions have just started to appear. Stories linking Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans are starting to gain pace, while isolated reports claim the Reds are about to test Brentford’s resolve with a bid for Ivan Toney.

Hard Act to Follow

Having come so close to completing an unbeaten season in 2019/20, it was always going to be tough for Liverpool to follow up their title-winning campaign. Ultimately, supporters would have been happy that Jurgen Klopp’s men squeezed into the Champions League places last term, after being outside of the top four for much of the campaign.

It won’t be any easier next season, with Manchester City looking to strengthen – and that’s reflected in the Premier League betting sites. According to figures supplied via sbo.net, City are the odds on favourites to successfully defend their crown while Liverpool are in second place, just ahead of Chelsea and Manchester United.

It’s going to be a tough season and those figures will start to change once the 2021/22 campaign gets underway. Sbo.net will reflect any fluctuations by publishing updated odds as they come in, while news relating to transfers and other football reports will also be accessible there.

It’s a comprehensive portal for readers, who could also move ahead and sign up with any of a number of recommended bookmakers. Those outlets will usually have a range of generous welcome promotions, while there will be a choice of funding methods across those secure platforms.

Whether or not Liverpool can justify the optimism of potential backers may well depend on any new arrivals at Anfield this summer.

Leicester’s Loss?

Leicester City continue to defy the odds and claim silverware in such a competitive footballing landscape. 2021 saw the Foxes win the FA Cup with a solitary goal scored by none other than Tielemans in the win over Chelsea.

Leicester have continued to underline their ambition with key summer signings but there remains a tendency for their most high-profile stars to seek a move to bigger-name clubs. N’Golo Kante and Harry Maguire are among those who have set the trend, but could Tielemans be set to follow?

The Belgium international joined the Foxes in 2019 from Monaco after a brief loan spell at the King Power, and he’s essentially been a first choice midfielder ever since. Manager Brendan Rodgers will inevitably be reluctant to lose the player, but reports from his native Belgium suggest that he is pushing for a move to Anfield this summer.

Suggestions as to the size of the fee differ depending on which source you read. It’s been claimed that Liverpool would be willing to pay up to £64 million – exactly twice the figure that Leicester paid to Monaco two years ago.

Bees Buzzing

Brentford are finally in the Premier League for the very first time after coming so close to promotion in previous seasons. There was a concern the Bees might struggle in 2020/21 – with key striker Ollie Watkins signing for Aston Villa – but Ivan Toney joined from Peterborough United and turned into something of a goal machine.

Former Newcastle United front man Toney scored 31 goals in 45 league games and was clearly vital to Brentford’s promotion campaign. He now gets to prove his worth in the top flight, but there have been reports linking the 25 year old with a move away. Chelsea and Everton are in the frame, while a smaller number of media stories suggest Liverpool will table a bid this summer.

The potential issue for the Reds is that Toney is unproven in the top flight. He’s played just twice in the Premier League, during that brief stint with Newcastle, and is yet to score.

As we’ve seen with Teemu Pukki at Norwich, it’s tough to replicate Championship scoring success at the highest level and it’s likely that the bigger clubs will monitor Toney at Brentford before considering a move in a later window.

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