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What’s the rumour?
As quoted by The Daily Express, Atletico Madrid's goalkeeper Jan Oblak is a prime transfer target for Arsenal and Liverpool. Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp are likely to be engaged in a tug of war for the Slovenian this summer.
In case you didn't know:
Oblak was brought in by Diego Simeone to replace Thibaut Courtois following his move to Chelsea. Simeone's likeness towards a well drilled, solid back-line and an experienced group of defenders in front of him helped the goalkeeper to adapt quickly to new surroundings.
Although he is only 25 years old, the player has quickly established himself as one of the best keepers in the world and has also kept 18 clean sheets in 28 games for the club this campaign. He has been voted into the La Liga team of the season for the last two years.
The heart of the matter:
Liverpool's defenders and keepers have been constantly criticised for lacklustre performances this season and Klopp had to drop the first-choice keeper Simon Mignolet. Although Loris Karius, who replaced him, has been decent of late, Klopp needs a quality signing to contest for trophies next season.
A similar case can be accounted for Arsenal as well, who have been defensively vulnerable all season. Petr Cech tries to do his best but a decline in form is evident. He may call it a day sooner than we expect and Wenger needs to identify reinforcements.
The two managers have thus turned to Jan Oblak and want to sign him this summer. The keeper has a contract till 2021 and his market value is reported to be around the £45 million mark. Notably, the player also has an £89 million release clause in his contract.
Rumour rating/probability - 7/10
Some credible sources are reporting the same but we do not have any concrete information yet. One thing's for sure though, Atletico Madrid will definitely not sell him easily.
Video: Oblak in 2017/18
Author’s take
Oblak is one of the top keepers around and both Arsenal and Liverpool will be looking to fix their goalkeeping issues this summer. He will certainly not come cheap but has the abilities to give a facelift to both the clubs' defences.
