Khephren Thuram is one of the names on Liverpool’s shortlist for midfielders this summer, but his current club Nice is in a state of uncertainty due to Manchester United. The Glazer family is expected to give up control of United, with INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the frontrunner despite a late bid from a Qatari billionaire. Liverpool has yet to announce any news regarding minority investment, while United has received multiple offers since November. Ratcliffe is looking to gain majority ownership of United, which will add the club to his and INEOS’ portfolio, including OGC Nice which was bought in 2019 for an estimated £88 million.
This affects Liverpool in that L’Equipe reports that Nice’s summer plans will be determined by the possible takeover of United, with their transfer budget potentially taking a hit. With Nice expecting to lose key players such as Thuram, they need adequate compensation and investment to find “high-quality replacements”. This could mean that Liverpool may have to pay a fee of around £51.3 million for Thuram, although Nice has shown “little to no interest” in negotiating according to Get French Football News.
It is likely that we will not see any significant movement until after Thuram’s involvement with France in the U21 Euros, which ends on July 9. Liverpool may have to pay a high price for Thuram if Nice wants to get as much as they can and give themselves time to reinvest. However, if Nice is in a position of wanting to give themselves time to reinvest, then Liverpool could take advantage of the opportunity and land the exciting talent.