Liverpool have triple incentive to sign former World XI star amidst £60 million, for a star who has been coveted by Manchester United and Chelsea.

Many Liverpool fans may not know it, but food poisoning is actually what helped them sign Darwin Núñez.

It hit Benfica president Rui Costa forcing him to postpone a planned meeting with Manchester United over a potential deal for the striker, according to The Athletic.

United “may have snubbed him” and by the time Núñez admirer Erik ten Hag was appointed, Liverpool had already made progress. FSG would eventually agree an £85m deal for the Uruguayan in mid-June.

And now, at the other end of the transfer window, the Reds would have another player that Ten Hag was chasing. READ

According to Spanish outlet Futbol Total, Liverpool have offered £53m via Forbes Barcelona, ​​rising to £60m with add-ons, for midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

According to Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst, United began their push to sign De Jong in mid-May and only abandoned them last week when they agreed a deal for Casemiro at Real Madrid instead.

During this period, they had a £71.5m offer which was accepted by Barcelona but came up against insurmountable odds. De Jong owes £17million in unpaid wages and wasn’t too keen on reuniting with former Ajax boss Ten Hag at Old Trafford (via The Athletic).

To capitalize on this, Chelsea have also expressed interest in the 25-year-old and they are said to remain interested as they threaten to do some spectacular late night window shopping. United eventually walked away from De Jong and Chelsea, perhaps unlike Liverpool, don’t see central midfielder upgrades as ‘urgent’ (via The Athletic), but they could still watch with envy and regret if he proves to be one of the highlights of success at Anfield.

And there’s certainly reason to believe he would be, even though his fortunes at Barcelona have been mixed. After playing a starring role in Ajax’s memorable Champions League run in 2019, he was named UCL Midfielder of the Season and earned a place in the FIFPro World XI – two of the most prestigious individual awards.

If he has approved a move for De Jong, Jurgen Klopp will focus on the best version of the player and see him as a solution to the Reds’ midfield problems.

Liverpool could also inadvertently weaken a rival through this particular deal. The Daily Mail reported earlier this month that Barcelona will try to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City if he sells De Jong.

And on Wednesday, Pep Guardiola hinted that a move for Bernardo is possible next week if he pushes for a dream move.

“We want him to stay with us but I don’t want anyone unhappy,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “The first thing would be for the clubs to reach an agreement, but there have been no offers for him in the last two years.

“I don’t want him to leave, he is a superlative player and a great person and there are only seven or eight days left and we will have to contact the transfer market. I want him to stay. Still, it’s true that Bernardo really likes Barcelona.”

Manchester City fans may be hoping De Jong stays so they can keep one of their best players. Indeed, Bernardo was named the PFA Team of the Year last season, acknowledging his vital role in the Premier League triumph.

Liverpool would of course be most concerned about what De Jong could bring to his team, but that’s just one of three incentives here.

If – and it’s a big if – FSG can unravel the complex financial web and seal a £60million deal, they would improve their own side, frustrate two of their rivals and potentially spark a beneficial move elsewhere.