£22m Liverpool defender lines up perfectly for Chelsea transfer this summer; club could repeat Sterling mistake | OneFootball

Anfield Watch have today published an interesting exclusive which questions whether defender Joe Gomez could leave Liverpool this summer.

Chelsea are not mentioned specifically, but it’s noted that a “return to London is preferred” if he leaves Liverpool. The 26 year old has asked that he “would like the club to listen to any reasonable offers.” But how much would that be? And is it realistic for Chelsea?

The articles claims that the defender could go for a fee “not far off his expected transfer valuation of £22m.” That certainly would make him affordable for us once we’ve made a few sales, and makes him far cheaper than some of the other options we’ve been linked with.

It would be a similar situation to one we saw with Raheem Sterling – an England regular in his peak years looking to leave a top Premier League side. We might pay a reasonable fee, but his wage demands might compensate for that.

Joe Gomez playing for Liverpool.

A strong case for – and a strong case against

We can the arguments both ways on this one.

Pro Gomez – on his day he’s a brilliant player. He’s versatile and has shown himself able to play a really intense high pressing game in a number of position for Jurgen Klopp’s team over the years. He’s a London boy, and as the article points out, may be keen to come home. He’s got tons of Premier League experience, but it still young enough to see his transfer value go up if he plays, and is gettable for the reasonable fee mentioned above.

But there are negatives too – he’s had a lot of bad injuries over the years, and the idea of signing another defender perceived as injury prone (whether that’s an accurate assessment or not) will be enough to send some fans mad. There’s also the sense that he just might not look as solid when removed from the well-oiled Liverpool machine.