Liverpool gunning to sign ‘elite’ €60m star before Man Utd as transfer deemed ‘very likely’ | OneFootball

Liverpool and Manchester United have converged on Bundesliga star Edmond Tapsoba, with a report naming the four clubs in the race and also revealing a significant price drop.

Tapsoba is a 27-year-old centre-half who made his name in Portugal with Vitoria Guimaraes before joining Bayer Leverkusen for €20million in January 2020. He has gone on to score 12 times in 255 appearances for the German club, helping them win a domestic double during an unprecedented season under Xabi Alonso in 2023-24.

Tapsoba has played 29 times for Leverkusen this season, chipping in with four goals and two assists. According to WhoScored, the defender has been Leverkusen’s third-best player this season, with an average rating of 7.06.

The Spurs Scout has previously described Tapsoba as an ‘elite ball-playing centre-back with physical attributes that make him the dream modern-day defender.’

He is 6ft 4in tall and is dominant in the air, while he is also quick and confident on the ball.

According to German outlet Fussball Daten, Liverpool are rivalling Man Utd, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain for Tapsoba’s signature.

The Burkina Faso international is ‘on the verge of leaving’ as his sale would help to give Leverkusen a ‘war chest’ for new additions this summer. The report claims it is ‘very likely’ he will depart Germany at the end of the season.

Tapsoba has a huge €100m (£87m / $118m) exit clause, though Leverkusen are willing to sell for a far lower price of €60m (£52m / $71m).

That price point has put all of Tapsoba’s potential suitors on alert. He is ‘officially’ on PSG’s shortlist, while Liverpool and Man Utd see him as ‘tailor-made’ for the Premier League.

We have already detailed United’s interest in the player here.

Liverpool involved in defensive merry-go-round

Plus, Madrid are ‘monitoring’ Tapsoba as a ‘top-class backup option’ in case they are unable to land other targets such as Micky van de Ven and Ibrahima Konate.

It emerged on Sunday that Tottenham Hotspur see Tapsoba as a potential replacement for exit-linked Cristian Romero.

Returning to Liverpool, the Reds are gearing up for yet more defensive recruits even after striking an agreement for Jeremy Jacquet.

Liverpool admire Van De Ven and Nico Schlotterbeck, just like Madrid, while they have also been linked with Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix.

Tapsoba is a new option Liverpool are considering, but they will have to fight off United to bring him to the Premier League.