Barcelona and Juventus have entered the race to sign Adam Lallana, according to reports
The Times claim that the Spanish and Italian giants have joined Paris Saint-Germain in “expressing an interest” in Liverpool’s star midfielder. The England midfielder has been in brilliant form for Liverpool this season, and it is no surprise that many of the top European clubs have sat up and taken notice of him.
Lallana has scored 7 goals and picked up 7 assists in the English Premier League this season, despite only making 16 starts and 2 substitute appearances. His performances have been universally praised, with Liverpool legend and former England international Jamie Carragher branding Lallana as the best English player in the league.
The Times state that unless Lallana signs a contract extension in the summer, he could spark a bidding war between Barcelona, Juventus and PSG. His current contract runs until 2019 and while Liverpool are keen on securing him to a new contract – reportedly willing to double his wages in order to convince him to sign – there has been no word on what the progress is.
Lallana himself completely dismissed speculation when asked about PSG’s interest in early December, and claimed that he could only see himself at Liverpool in the long term. However, the Times state that his willingness to sign a contract extension will depend on whether or not Liverpool qualify for the Champions League – something that they seem almost certain to do given their brilliant performances this season.
The report further states that PSG remain the club most interested in securing the England international’s services, but that Barcelona – who have singled out Philippe Coutinho as their first target – will turn their attention to Lallana should they fail to sign the Brazilian midfielder.
The interest from Juventus is also said to be secondary, as they will turn to Lallana only if they fail to sign Alexis Sanchez. Juve are still looking to bolster their side in order to further assert their dominance on the Serie A, and Paul Pogba’s departure to Manchester United this summer has seen them linked with a host of midfielders, with Lallana reportedly the latest target.
There is no doubt Jurgen Klopp will do everything he can to hold on to Lallana, and while he may be able to dissuade the Englishman from joining Juventus or PSG, it will be very difficult to convince the skillful midfielder to stay, should Barcelona come calling. It seems that a lot will hinge on whether or not Liverpool can convince Lallana to sign a new contract.
