Liverpool ready to offer £43 million to sign former Chelsea star: Reports

Liverpool are reportedly prepared to launch a permanent move to sign ex-Chelsea star and Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen ahead of the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.

According to Fichajes.net, Jurgen Klopp's outfit are keen to add a new centre-back to their ranks this summer. As a result, they have identified Christensen as an ideal target due to his prior experience in England.

Liverpool, who are believed to release Joel Matip at the end of his current deal this June, are willing to dish out £43 million to sign Christensen. Barcelona, meanwhile, could be tempted to accept such an offer owing to their ongoing Financial Fair Play (FFP) problems.

Since leaving Chelsea on a free switch to join Barcelona in 2022, Christensen has made 59 appearances across competitions for his team. The 27-year-old has also helped Xavi Hernandez's outfit lifted one La Liga title and a Supercopa de Espana trophy so far.

Christensen, who has earned 69 international caps for Denmark, spent eight years representing Chelsea's senior team between 2014 and 2022. The Liverpool target scored two goals in 161 matches for them, playing in the Premier League 93 times along the way.

Paul Merson offers prediction for Liverpool and Chelsea's upcoming league contests

In his column for Sportskeeda, Arsenal legend Paul Merson predicted a 2-0 win for Liverpool in their Premier League contest at Brentford this Saturday (February 17). He wrote:

"Jurgen Klopp doesn't really like these early kick-offs, but Liverpool can get a win and put massive pressure on Manchester City and Arsenal, so I think that's a huge advantage. Brentford winning their last game takes a little bit of pressure off them. They are in a decent position right now, so this is a much bigger game for [the Reds] than it is for the home side."

The Reds, who have lost just two league games this season, are atop the 2023-24 table with 54 points from 24 games. Brentford, on the other hand, are 14th with 25 points from 23 Premier league outings so far.

Sharing his thoughts on Chelsea's league clash at Manchester City this Saturday, Merson asserted that the Blues will lose 3-2. He elaborated:

"What Chelsea are turning up? If someone knows, let me know and I'll predict this one accordingly. They are so hard to predict! They have enough to hurt City, but the home side are just on another level, especially at this stage of the season. It'll be an entertaining game played at a nice level, but I think City will come out on top."

While Manchester City are second with 52 points from 23 games, the west London outfit are in 10th place with 34 points from 24 matches.