Liverpool pursuit of ‘flawless’ Real Madrid slayer hits roadblock

Arne Slot does not want to offload any Liverpool players in January, which could jeopardise the club’s pursuit of Tijjani Reijnders.

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, the Liverpool manager is happy with the current composition of his squad and wants to strengthen and not weaken it. Several Reds players have been linked with a departure, but they will finish the season at Anfield.

This means, among other things, that Federico Chiesa will stay at Liverpool. The attacker was acquired from Juventus last summer and has not yet played much for the current leaders of the Premier League. There is interest from Como and AC Milan, among others, but Liverpool don’t want to let him leave.

This stance, therefore, puts a transfer of Tijjani Reijnders in jeopardy. The 26-year-old AC Milan midfielder, who has a contract until 2028, has been linked with a swap deal, in which he would move to Liverpool and Chiesa would head the other way.

Reijnders stars against Real Madrid

However, since Liverpool don’t want to part with Chiesa, a swap deal does not seem to be a credible option.

Reijnders has been in brilliant form of late and would certainly be a boon to Slot, who played with his father at FC Zwolle in the 1990s and coached the midfielder at AZ during his short stint in Alkmaar.

Italian media waxed lyrical about the Dutchman after AC Milan put Real Madrid to the sword at the Santiago Bernabeu, describing the 26-year-old as a player who ‘never makes a mistake.’

A January move, however, looks unlikely at this stage. The same applies to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who, like Chiesa, is also not allowed to leave in January, according to O’Rourke.

The defender has an expiring contract and has been linked to Real Madrid for some time, who see him as the successor to Daniel Carvajal. Liverpool would like to extend the contract of the 26-year-old right back, but so far the parties have not reached an agreement.

Wataru Endo is also not allowed to leave. The 31-year-old Japanese midfielder hardly plays at Liverpool and was therefore linked with a transfer. In the summer, Olympique de Marseille already showed interest and recently Inter also appeared to be keen on the experienced midfielder.