Sevilla was heavily linked with a move for Liverpool playmaker Joe Allen but has reportedly backed out after being unwilling to meet the Reds’ transfer demands.
Joe Allen has been tipped to leave Anfield this summer, with Jurgen Klopp beginning to shape his squad in his first full season as Liverpool manager. The 26-year old has been the subject of interest of a few clubs in the recent past.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool has already rejected an £8 million bid by the Welsh’s boyhood club Swansea City. The report also states that the Reds’ are seemingly holding out for a fee around the £15 million mark. Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was recently announced as the new Celtic head coach and according to the Scottish Daily Record, wants to be reunited with his former protege.
Sevilla has been heavily linked with a move for the Liverpool playmaker after the recent departure of Argentine Ever Banega and Polish international Grzegorz Krychowiak. However, fresh reports from the Express states that the La Liga club has pulled out of the race due to the £15 million asking price.
Joe Allen rose up through the ranks at Swansea City and contributed in two promotions for the Welsh club from League One to the Premier League. He made over 100 appearances before moving to Anfield for a fee of around £15M under the instruction of his former Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers. The move doesn’t seem to have favored the 26-year-old with the playmaker showing only spurts of his full technical ability.
The midfielder, also called the “Welsh Pirlo”, has made 90 appearances in the Barclays Premier League over a span of 4 seasons. He was restricted to just 19 Premier League appearances last season under Klopp and is likely to look toward newer pastures in search of regular first-team football.
Joe Allen’s stock has seen a significant rise after his impressive efforts in the European Championship which has seen the Welsh playmaker being lauded by teammates, fans and pundits alike. Real Madrid superstar and international teammate Gareth Bale is one of his most vocal supporters.
“I can’t really speak highly enough of him,” Bale told the Guardian. “I think he does the dirty work that maybe goes unnoticed. But for us, we know how vitally important he is and how amazing he’s played. In the squad we appreciate him very much. Maybe he doesn’t get the headlines outside, but in the squad he gets them. He works his socks off every game and I’m sure he’ll go on to do incredible things in his career.”
Liverpool has increased their asking price for the Welsh star to £15 million in light of his performances in the European Championships and the interested sides seem to be unwilling to pay the reported amount. Amidst the reluctance of the clubs to pay the asking price and Allen’s impressive form in the Euros, it just might be worth giving the Welsh Pirlo another chance to show the Kop Army he belongs at Anfield.
