The father of one reported Liverpool transfer target is believed to be pushing the player towards a move to Anfield in preference to a Premier League rival.
Khephren Thuram has been strongly linked with the Reds of late, with The Times‘ Paul Joyce stating that the Nice midfielder is among several players being ‘followed’ by the club.
According to Jacque Talbot in a piece for NUFCblog.co.uk, Newcastle are also in the mix for the 22-year-old, but it seems that a quite influential figure is trying to persuade the Ligue 1 star to snub Eddie Howe’s side in favour of the Merseysiders.
The journalist wrote: “Thuram has attracted more attention since last summer when Newcastle held informal talks, as we revealed last summer.
“His father and advisor – Lilian Thuram – is pushing a move to Liverpool, though, and things are progressing, so Newcastle may have to act fast if they wish to sign the 22-year-old.”
The final decision will obviously come down to the player, but it’s still encouraging from a Liverpool perspective that someone as close as his father is seemingly advocating a move to Anfield rather than St James’ Park.
This isn’t just any old case of a footballer being advised by a parent, either – Khephren’s dad is a France legend who’s won the World Cup and European Championship and represented some of the biggest clubs on the planet in the Champions League for numerous seasons.
Therefore, when someone of that ilk offers advice to his son, Thuram junior may well be inclined to take heed.
Newcastle may appear to hold one significant trump card in being able to offer the 22-year-old Champions League football, unlike Liverpool, but the Reds have challenged for – and won – several major trophies under Jurgen Klopp.
That’s something the Magpies haven’t managed yet, with the closest they’ve come to silverware being the Carabao Cup final defeat in February, so that factor might also hopefully sway the Nice midfielder towards Merseyside rather than Tyneside.