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The young left back’s whopping £2M fee is said to be giving the newly promoted side second thoughts.

Liverpool’s 19-year-old Algerian left back Yasser Larouci has resisted signing a new deal and is expected to move on this summer in search of a clearer path to first team football, and until now Leeds United had been a frequently mentioned possibility.

However, a number of outlets are today claiming that the newly promoted side are baulking at Liverpool’s £2M asking price. It is, to be perfectly honest, rather a strange story—if Leeds believe Larouci can challenge for minutes, £2M hardly seems an excessive fee.

And if, on the other hand, Leeds don’t believe Larouci has much of a shot at earning regular minutes for them, one wonders why they would be after him in the first place. In any case, it’s hardly a ringing endorsement for the player from his prospective new club.

If Leeds’ reluctance means that a deal falls through, it’s possible that Larouci could end up at Brentford FC, who had been targeting the player previously but whose chances to sign him looked to have taken a hit when they failed to earn promotion.

That they wouldn’t be in the Premier League next season seemed to give the edge to Leeds, but if they don’t believe Larouci is a good enough player to be worth all of £2M, that just might be their chance to swoop back in and nap the promising youngster.

Liverpool’s star right back was named the best young player in the Premier League today.

It’s hardly a surprise but certainly worth a bit of celebrating, as today Trent Alexander-Arnold has officially been named the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season for the 2019-20 season, seeing off a strong list of finalists to take the prize.

Alexander-Arnold was up against Jack Grealish of Aston Villa; Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount of Chelsea; Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford of Manchester United; and United loanee and Sheffield goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Many of them could have made a case for being named the league best young player, but it was Alexander-Arnold who was also one of seven finalists for the overall Player of the Year Award, meaning any upset here would have been a quite major one.

After ending last year with the record for assists in a Premier League season by a defender with 12—not to mention 97 points in the league and a Champions League medal—the young Scouser followed it up by notching 13 helpers in the league this season.

He also chipped in four league goals and played in every one of Liverpool’s 38 games as the Reds racked up 99 points and won the Premier League for the first time in three decades, marking him out as him an indispensable part of England’s best team.

The apparel giant’s second release for the 2020-21 season will certainly get people talking.

Nike have officially unveiled their first Liverpool away kit—and it’s definitely not one your grandad will recall.

Building off of the teal trim teased in last week’s home kit release, the apparel giant decided to double down on the whole unrelated primary color thing with an teal away offering that will make for some colorful away days. A floral motif evoking both the Shankly Gates and the Liver Bird combined with as a black trim to complete look was designed to draw on cultural influences, both past and present, from across the city.

As anyone who has ever experienced any Nike marketing will know, the American company has a thing for the word ‘hyper’, so naturally the kit color has been titled ‘Hyper Turquoise®’. Whatever you want to call it, Nike’s first Liverpool collection represents, so far, a bold departure from the perfectly-adequate New Balance regime. The gulf in pop culture influence between the two companies is the fact that Nike announced the release in an exclusive interview with the website HYPEBEAST, a publication where—as any true hype beast knows—walk the gods of uber-cool streetwear.

Nike VP of Football Apparel, Scott Munson lauded the release in an interview with the site, highlighting an extensive campaign to sound out local influencers, supporters and players in designing the kit:

“We went really deep into the culture of the club and the culture of the city. We got boots on the ground from our design and product teams, here in Portland, and we leveraged the local team in the U.K. to work in Liverpool for the insights.

“First and foremost, we set out to create a collection that celebrates the rich culture of the city of Liverpool and the club.

“The away kit allowed us to be bolder and more expressive in how we brought some of these cultural references to life and we’ve landed on a look and aesthetic that really reflects that.”

Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson also weighed in on the release: “I’m a massive fan of the new away kit.

“I really love the design and how it has been influenced by the city and specific aspects of the club. I can’t wait to get back out there and play in it next season.” A very Jordan Brian Henderson take on the topic.

While the captain’s contribution to broadening Liverpool’s global pop culture appeal will be limited to his on-pitch performances, early indicators are that Nike’s deep roster of superstars are playing a major role in flogging kits and ‘brand equity’ off the pitch.

Meaning that as various Reds return from their holidays surfing hyper turquoise waves on, they’ll have a bold new kit and a whole lot of Nike cool backing their title defense.

Ben White’s former manager says the highly-rated Brighton defender will thrive learning at Liverpool

Liverpool’s wish list going into the offseason was straightforward: Timo Werner, a backup left back, a 4^th-choice center half, Timo Werner, maybe some creativity in midfield, and a 24-year-old German speed merchant goal machine if one just happened to be available for a bargain basement price. A global pandemic has altered the timelines somewhat, but the transfer team has since steadied the ship and already locked down full back, Kostas Tsimikas (going to have to Google that name for a while), with midfielder Thiago as well as non-Timo Werner attacking depth in the club’s sights.

However, the dearth of reliable links to a quality replacement for the departing Dejan Lovren in the heart of defense may be now rectified as Brighton center back, Ben White has emerged as a potential target. The mobile defender recently returned from a season under Marcelo Bielsa helping Leeds United win promotion from the Championship and has reportedly earned admirers from several Premier League clubs, including Chelsea and Leeds.

However, one of the 22-year-old’s former managers believes that the versatile, ball-playing defender would do best to snub all other suitors in favor of Liverpool. While Michael Flynn (no, not that Michael Flynn) last worked with White at Newport County back in the 2017/18 season, the ex-coach recently gave an interview selling Anfield as an optimal destination.

“I’d love to see him at Liverpool,” Flynn said talking to TalkSport2. “I know Pep Lijnders, the assistant, he’s an unbelievable coach.”

“So, I know he will help Ben improve. He’s got to do what’s best for Ben White. That could be getting a season in the Premier League with regular games at Brighton, which I think he could do.

While there aren’t any signs that Liverpool are interested in the player as of yet, one can imagine that a promising prospect like White has most certainly crossed Mikey Edwards’ radar at one point or another.

“[Brighton boss] Graham Potter might want to keep him and bring him on and then sell him for more money after a year in the Premier League,” said Flynn.

“That’s a decision for Ben, but for biased reasons, I’d be edging him towards Liverpool.”

While on the surface, match time might be hard to come by for a 4^th choice center half in Jürgen Klopp’s world class team, the injury records of Joe Gomez Joël Matip could potentially mean plenty of time opportunities for a new recruit to partner Virgil Van Dijk on the pitch. Coupled with the bonus prospect of daily Klopp hugs and competing at the heights of Europe rather than scrapping mid-table increases the appeal for an emerging young defensive talent.

“I’m that confident of Ben that I think he can force his way into any team,” Flynn continued. “Let’s not forget, he’s going to have even better players around him, they’ll bring him on.

“Jurgen Klopp, as a manager, gets the best out of all his players. I can just see him improving again,” he added.