Ben Jacobs has claimed that Liverpool have diverted their attention from one reported transfer target who they know is unattainable this summer.
The Reds were heavily linked with Levi Colwill last year, and the Chelsea defender remains an object of desire at Anfield, but there’s a realization that any pursuit of him could be futile due to the Blues’ steadfast unwillingness to sell.
Speaking about the 21-year-old to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “He’s missed out on the Euro squad, and even though the player, if he can’t get into the England setup – or if for whatever reason he’s not playing regularly at Chelsea under Enzo Maresca, or playing out of position – he may start to at least look at options.
“But the Chelsea stance is very much an automatic rejection at this point for summer 2024, and Liverpool know that, so they are not engaging.
“All of the noise is obviously coming from elsewhere because Liverpool are entirely focused on other targets. Again, it’s not because they don’t appreciate Colwill, it’s because they simply don’t think that anything is possible in 2024.”
If Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes feel that pursuing Colwill would be time poorly spent because of Chelsea’s firm refusal to sell, then unfortunately they may need to move on from him and focus on other centre-back targets this summer.
We’ve seen in the past that Liverpool can be persistent when it comes to signing players who they absolutely want at Anfield, but the modus operandi of FSG is to only spend what they believe is at a fair price. Therefore, if they think that they’d be forced to pay over the odds for the 21-year-old, they’ll draw a line through his name and look elsewhere.
Fortunately, the Reds appear to be casting the net wide when it comes to potential centre-back recruitment, with Willian Pacho, Piero Hincapie and Leny Yoro among the most prominent targets, so the eggs certainly aren’t all in the Colwill basket.
As Jacobs alluded to, the English defender’s situation could change at Stamford Bridge further down the line if he becomes dissatisfied with his lot in west London, or if he struggles for game-time under yet another new manager in Maresca.
We can probably strike the 21-year-old off the Liverpool list for this summer, but that isn’t to say that he won’t become an attainable option in the future.
