Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes is likely already scouring rival clubs for a new fullback after news that incumbent right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold seems poised to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer.
Bayer Leverkusen starlet Jeremie Frimpong seems like an obvious first choice, considering his prodigal attacking output and his Dutch ties to Reds boss Arne Slot and captain Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool may also turn its attention to Juventus’s versatile 25-year-old fullback Andrea Cambiaso as its second choice (per Gazzetta) – the Italian international can play on either flank.
The Italian team could certainly use an influx of cash this summer. The club recently sacked first-year manager Thiago Motta after a string of poor results left them outside of the Champions League places.
Juventus could be on the hook for close to €32 million ($34.6 million) for Motta’s buyout. Additionally, the club was eliminated from the 2024/25 Champions League knockouts, costing them a further projected payout.
The Italian outfit hasn’t quite been spendthrift in recent transfer windows. Juventus spent close to $200 million in the 2024 summer window and has spent heavily in recent years on players like Douglas Costa, Dusan Vlahovic, and others.
Manchester City sniffed around Cambiaso’s availability in January, reportedly offering €65 million ($70 million) in January following the club’s loan transfer of Kyle Walker to AC Milan. “I’m happy he stayed with a great team like Juventus,” Motta said in early February. “I think he always had the idea of staying.”
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Who is Cambiaso? He signed with Juventus for €13.3 million ($14 million) after breaking through for a relegated Genoa side in 2022. He spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Genoa and played well enough to earn a starting spot with Juventus out of the gate in 2023.
Across his 74 matches with the Turin outfit, Cambiaso has tallied 13 goal involvements. His strong play has also earned the 25-year-old 13 Italian National Team caps (scoring twice). He mostly provides as an elite ball carrier and passer – somewhere between the skill set of Alexander-Arnold and current Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson.
Frimpong, however, is much more of a box-crasher sort of in the mold of Victor Moses. For the Dutch national team, the Bayer Leverkusen man has actually lined up as a right-winger in a 4-2-3-1. Would his signing prompt a formation switch or a change in style for Slot’s team? Only time will tell.
