1 Sept 2015

Anfield-bound? Boss confirms he'll sell 'incredible' €20m Liverpool target and reveals date of possible sale

Liverpool are currently linked with a deadline-day move for Andriy Yarmolenko, one of my favourite attacking players, but what are the chances of the prodigiously prolific Ukrainian leaving Dynamo Kiev in the next 24 hours?

According to an exclusive last night in Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato, Liverpool have a 'strong interest' in signing Yarmolenko, and are 'ready to pay' his €20m release clause.

After winning the league title last season with Kiev, Yarmolenko - hailed by Roberto Martinez for his 'incredible finishing' - confirmed that he plans to move on this summer. In June, he told reporters:

"Now is the perfect time to change clubs. I promised that until we become champions, I was not going anywhere. I kept my promise, we became champions. The president knows that I want to leave, I have repeatedly spoken about this".

Kiev President Igor Surkis isn't playing ball, though, and when asked on Monday about the possibility of Yarmolenko leaving for the Premier League, he told Velikiy Futbol:

"How can I sell him and put my team in a difficult position? With Yarmolenko we can do well in the Champions League. I will sell him if we are out of the Champions League in the winter, but if he wants to stay then that's his right".

A few days ago, Yarmolenko also appeared to contradict himself. When asked whether he's leaving this summer, he told reporters:

"I have a year left on my contract and I will wholeheartedly stay for its duration".

That is a double-edge sword, though. If Yarmolenko sees out his contract, then he'll be able to leave for nothing next summer, and given his talent, and age (25 - entering prime years), I sincerely doubt Kiev will want that to happen.

As much as I want Liverpool to seal this deal, I can't see it happening. With Rodger at the helm, it's entirely probable that he'll ruin Yarmolenko, just as he's ruined/misused/mismanaged many other attacking players.


If Yarmolenko signs, though, I want to see him in the team *in the right position* every single game without fail. He has never been injured, so there's zero excuse to keep him on the sidelines and/or rest him.

Additionally, the attacking section of the team should be built around him, not Coutinho, Milner, Henderson, and definitely not Lallana.

It may all be moot, though, as the Ukrainian has his heart set on another club. Last week, he told Spanish newspaper Sport:

"I am very grateful [or Arsenal's interest] but my dream is to play for Barcelona."

Barcelona are banned from signing anyone until January 2016, so if the Catalan club comes calling, then I'm sure Yarmolenko won't have a problem staying for another six months, which will make his President happy.

Author: Jaimie K


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