Juventus want Alisson. Right. Okay. Let's just take a moment with that one because it's genuinely one of those transfer stories that makes you put your brew down and stare at the wall for a second.
Alisson Becker is, and this is not up for debate, one of the best goalkeepers on the planet. The man has won the Champions League, the Premier League, he's been the difference between Liverpool being a good side and an absolutely elite one for years. So yes, of course Juventus want him. Every club with a pulse wants him. That part makes total sense.
What makes less sense is why Liverpool would ever let that happen. Unless the money is absolutely obscene, and even then you'd have to question it, selling Alisson this summer would be a genuinely baffling decision. He's 32, which in goalkeeper years is basically still in his prime. Goalkeepers age like a fine Chianti. You keep them as long as they're performing and Alisson is absolutely still performing.
Now Juventus are rebuilding under Thiago Motta and fair play to them for being ambitious. They need a proper goalkeeper, that much is true. But going after Alisson feels a little bit like window shopping in Harrods when you've got a Waitrose budget. The Italian giants are not quite what they were financially and Liverpool are not in the habit of selling their best players unless someone completely loses their mind with an offer.
The timing is interesting though because there are murmurs that Alisson himself might be open to a new challenge at some point. Liverpool also have Caoimhin Kelleher pushing hard for first team football and he genuinely deserves it. If Liverpool decide Kelleher is the future and cash in on Alisson for the right number, it would hurt but you could at least understand the logic.
Right now though this feels like very early kite flying from the Juventus side. They've identified their man. Whether they can actually pull it off is a completely different story. The gap between wanting Alisson and actually getting Alisson is roughly the same size as the gap between wanting a Ferrari and being able to afford one.
Let me know your thoughts.