Liverpool to take over Inter loan agreement for Monaco forward

Liverpool are close to agreeing on a shock swoop on Monaco for on-loan winger Keita Balde, according to The Whistle. Jurgen Klopp was first linked with Senegal forward in the summer of 2017, with the club instead opting to sign Mohamed Salah from Roma. Klopp has kept tabs on Balde – who that summer instead joined then Ligue 1 champions Monaco. Inter are willing to cancel the loan arrangement that saw them sign Balde in the summer. Inter paid a €5m loan fee for the winger in the summer and have the option to make that a permanent €30m switch next summer. However, Balde has struggled to make much of an impact at the San Siro, making 16 appearances in all competitions and scoring three times. Inter are willing to cancel that arrangement. That would leave Liverpool free to take over that arrangement themselves, with a view to meeting the €35m (£31.1m) buyout that exists in the player’s contract in summer 2019 and a small loan fee paid to the Ligue 1 club in January.

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