Liverpool are reportedly interested in a move for Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, who has been gaining several admirers for his performances at Euro 2024.
The 29-year-old has been a key figure for Slovakia in Germany this month and is expected to be a part of the side that will take on England in the round of 16 on June 30 in Gelsenkirchen.
The Falcons earned their spot in the last 16 as one of the best third-placed sides in the group stages, finishing behind Romania and Belgium in Group E.
All four teams in the group ended on four points each, but Romania topped the standings on the tiebreaker of more goals scored than second-placed Belgium, while both had a better goal difference than Francesco Calzona's side.
Lobotka has impressed onlookers with his physical and technical attributes, as well as his ability to command the midfield in both attack and defence.
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Liverpool eyeing up move for Napoli midfield enforcer
According to Fichajes, Liverpool have taken notice of Lobotka's impressive performances and are now considering making a move for the Slovakian international this summer.
The report adds that Napoli are not actively looking to offload the 29-year-old this summer, but it is understood that he does have a price tag of £34m.
Lobotka's current deal with the Italian giants is only set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 Serie A campaign and the club have the option to extend that by a further year.
Last week, the player's agent Branislav Jasurek admitted that he had an agreement in place with La Liga giants Barcelona for the transfer of his client this summer, but he also mentioned that Barca's financial problems led to the dealing falling out.
Speaking in an interview with RTV, Jasurek said: "We had an agreement with Barcelona, then they changed the manager. At the moment, the situation is not very clear."
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Agent refuses to rule out Lobotka move this summer
While Lobotka is now set to return to Serie A after the Euros, Jasurek did not close the door on the possibility of his client departing Naples this summer.
He said: "Barcelona has financial problems and the operation to buy Lobotka has been frozen. However, the negotiations have definitely not fallen through and the situation can still evolve.
"Lobotka will return to Naples and everyone will be happy. Napoli have no intention of letting go of him for a low fee. There are coaches looking for a midfielder like Lobotka and I'm still talking to some of them."
Still, it will be interesting to see if the Reds are willing to spend such a substantial amount on a player who will turn 30 in November this year, especially given that they signed Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo at the start of last season.
Devesh Jaganath
