Liverpool ears may have perked up after what one reported transfer target had to say following his recent trophy-winning exploits.
Scouts from Anfield were at the Europa League final in Dublin on Wednesday night to keep tabs on Florian Wirtz, but his Bayer Leverkusen side were thwarted in their pursuit of an unbeaten treble by Atalanta, for whom LFC-linked Teun Koopmeiners featured.
Amid mounting transfer speculation, the 26-year-old was asked by Sky Sport Italia about his future after the match, and he appears to have left the door open to prospective suitors to swoop.
The Dutchman replied (via Calciomercato): “I’m very happy at Atalanta and now I just want to think about winning this trophy, then we’ll see. Will I play the Champions League with them? Let’s see, let’s see.”
Koopmeiners was actually subdued by his usual standards in Atalanta’s Europa League final success, posting a surprisingly low 71% pass accuracy, losing eight of his 12 duels, finding a teammate with only one of his five long passes and giving away the ball 15 times in total (Sofascore).
However, the midfielder – who can play as a number 6, 8 or 10, as well as out wide – has still been one of his team’s standout players this season, with 15 goals and seven assists in 49 appearances (Transfermarkt).
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That versatility could make him a very useful option for his former AZ Alkmaar boss Arne Slot at Anfield, with the 45-year-old having the choice of deploying him in several different roles if he maintains the 4-2-3-1 formation that he often used at Feyenoord.
By winning in Dublin last night, Atalanta have guaranteed a place in the Champions League for next term, although they would still have only needed a point from their two remaining Serie A fixtures to qualify via their domestic placing in any case.
The promise of playing in Europe’s premier club competition may help the Europa League winners to keep hold of Koopmeiners, but his non-committal answer about his future is sure to have Liverpool chiefs licking their lips at the thought that, with the right offer, he could be tempted into a move away from Bergamo.
His name could be one of the most dominant of the forthcoming transfer window.