Liverpool open talks with Manu Kone & Khephren Thuram

Liverpool have opened talks with the representatives of Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone and Nice’s Khephren Thuram, sources have confirmed to 90min.

The Reds are in the hunt for two to three new midfielders this summer as they look to retool following a subpar 2022/23 season. They have already confirmed the departures of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita when their contracts expire at the end of June.

90min reported on Tuesday Liverpool are confident of completing a deal to sign Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton, and they are pursuing other targets in the meantime.

Sources have now told 90min Liverpool have held initial talks with Kone and Thuram’s respective camps to gauge their situations ahead of the summer transfer window.

Liverpool have been doing their due diligence on a lengthy list of midfield targets which includes the likes of Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, Wolves’ Ruben Neves and Leicester’s Youri Tielemans.

They are also one of several Premier League sides to have weighed up a potential move for USMNT captain Tyler Adams following Leeds’ relegation.

French duo Kone and Thuram, both 22, have plenty of suitors from England in addition to Liverpool. Newcastle were in contact with the pair last summer, while Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham have scouted them extensively.

They have also turned heads across mainland Europe, with Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and PSG among other sides interested in them.

Thuram has been capped once by the France senior side, while Kone has been on the fringes of Didier Deschamps’ setup this season and is vying for a first call-up. Coincidentally, Kone currently plays alongside Thuram’s brother Marcus at Monchengladbach.