Liverpool scale back interest in £90k a week ‘cool customer’ as Newcastle transfer plan emerges | OneFootball

Liverpool are understood to have cooled their interest in signing a player Arne Slot once famously branded a “cool customer” as the Reds pursue other targets instead and leaving Newcastle free to secure the star down to a big-money deal.

The reigning Premier League champions are understood to be prioritising new defenders in 2026 as they look to move the club into a new era. Irreplaceable Liverpool club captain Virgil van Dijk is now 34 and has just 18 months left on his current arrangement, while Ibrahima Konate continues to stall on accepting fresh terms at Anfield and is now eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with overseas sides.

Furthermore, a season-ending injury to highly-rated Italian defender Giovanni Leoni has left Slot short of options this season as the Dutchman tries to navigate what has been a thoroughly testing defence of their Premier League crown so far.

However, future-proofing themselves at Anfield is already underway.

Fabrizio Romano has given his trademark ‘Here we go’ confirmation for the signing of a teenage Austrian defender.

Separate reports have claimed Liverpool are ‘set to sign’ another centre-half, Joel Ordonez, in a £40m deal from Club Brugge.

However, sources have informed our transfer insider Graeme Bailey that such speculation is wide of the mark.

We can confirm that Ordonez is on Liverpool’s shortlist as they seek defensive reinforcements, but no talks have taken place with Brugge yet.

The Reds also continue to keep close tabs on Marc Guehi’s situation at Crystal Palace, though all the signs still point to a free transfer at the end of the season for the 25-year-old England defender.

In the meantime, sources have firmly denied that Guehi has a gentleman’s agreement to join the Reds in 2026.

One man who has also been touted for a move to Anfield in the future is Newcastle star Sven Botman.

The Dutchman has been a hugely consistent performer since a June 2022 move from Lille worth €40m (£36m, $44.5m).

However, this season he has faded a little from the picture at Newcastle as the 25-year-old battles with a series of injury issues.

Now with just 18 months left on his deal, a trusted source has revealed what’s next for the centre-half amid claims he could come on to Liverpool’s radar and with Slot reportedly seeing his countryman as a ‘cool customer’…

Liverpool unlikely to pursue Sven Botman, trusted source claims

Now, according to Newcastle Chronicle journalist Lee Ryder, the Reds are no longer pursuing Botman, despite their long-standing interest in services, which actually dates back to his time in France.

He claims that Botman’s injury issues, the fact that he has dropped down the Newcastle pecking order and the fact that the Reds are simply prioritising other targets means a move to Liverpool is no longer on Slot and Co’s radar.

Instead, Newcastle are ready to go full steam ahead with tying the former Netherlands Under-21 star, who has yet to earn a senior cap for his country, down a new deal.

Upping his wages from his current £90k a week base to nearer the £150,000 a week enjoyed by the likes of Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes was quickly made a priority by the club’s new sporting director Ross Wilson upon his arrival last year.

And while his injury issues – which has seen Eddie Howe settling on a central defensive partnership of Malick Thiaw and, usually, Dan Burn this season – means he may now longer be able to command such a hefty pay-hike, the Magpies are making it clear they see Botman as a playing a big part in their future.

Per Ryder, Botman by chance is seeking reassurances over his first-team prospects having made just 15 appearances across all competitions so far this season.

Nonetheless, Newcastle are making it clear they want to extend his terms and will assure the player he has a major role to play under Howe in the years ahead.

Discussing his happiness with life on Tyneside, Botman said last year: “In terms of name, Newcastle wasn’t the biggest club that wanted me – that was AC Milan.

“But Newcastle was the club that suited me best. The ambitions, the style of play, and playing in the Premier League. I’ve always made my own choices based on what seemed best for me at that moment.”

Liverpool battle to sign £87m star; Howe’s Chelsea links

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s interest in signing Carlos Baleba has been clarified by sources, while Manchester United’s stance on triggering Brighton’s hefty £87m asking price, as well as the Seagulls’ thoughts on a possible January transfer, have also come to light.

Elsewhere, both Liverpool and Man Utd have made offers for a talented Sheffield Wednesday left-back, according to a report.

In other news, a proposed move to Major League Soccer for Harvey Elliott already looks to have hit the buffers, according to a trusted source, while TEAMtalk takes a look at what is next for the Liverpool outcast after Unai Emery made it crystal clear he has no future at Aston Villa.

Up at Newcastle, an ambitious report has claimed Howe has been the subject of an enquiry from Chelsea as they close on the appointment of their next manager as a successor to Enzo Maresca.