Chelsea could trigger a swoop on Liverpool if they sign Inter Milan star Antonio Candreva.
Italian outlet La Gazzetta Dello Sport claim Sadio Mane may be in Luciano Spalletti’s sights if he’s forced to replace the 30-year-old.
And this summer Antonio Conte, who coached Candreva when he was in charge of Italy, is thought to be keen on bringing the 30-year-old to England.
But that in turn could put Liverpool on the back foot with Inter keen on Senegalese ace Mane.
Candreva has only spent 12 months at Inter after he made the switch from Lazio last summer.
Matt Le Tissier thinks Virgil van Dijk could end up staying at Southampton, despite being linked with a move to Liverpool.
He said on talkSPORT: “It’s been going on long enough, and he’s still here! He still wants to be on his own… and to be honest, that’s pretty unprofessional.
“He’s got four and a half weeks [until the end of the transfer window], but the club have been pretty insistent so far that he signed a five-year contract and he’s going nowhere.
TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest gossip, rumours and done deals
“If players have all the power, he would have gone by now – but it’s all rumbled on for a few weeks now and he hasn’t got his own way.
“Perhaps the tide might be turning a little bit. The fact a lot of clubs now are in a much healthier financial position means the power might just be shifting back to clubs if they want to dig their heels in.
“They’ve got the money, they’re not desperate to bag the £60m it would take to get him away from the club, and if Southampton feel like they want to make a stand with Van Dijk, they can.”
Philippe Coutinho will not want to risk his World Cup place next year by leaving Liverpool, according to Tim Vickery.
“Let’s just assume they [Barcelona] sign Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool – that’s not cut and dry – and Liverpool have a strong negotiating position in that he’s signed a contract and it’s a World Cup year,” he told talkSPORT.
“He’s a good pro, and he doesn’t really have the incentive to pull a sulk in a World Cup year.”
He added: “Although, in business terms, what a fantastic piece of business it would be for Liverpool.
“They bought him for a song when Inter Milan had more or less given up on him.
“He’s not quite Neymar, but he’s pretty good and he’s pretty much the model professional."
