Spurs enter the Morten Frendrup battle after Chelsea’s $66 million deal for Liverpool’s transfer “target” was rejected.

Potential transfer rivalry has intensified in two areas of London for Liverpool, as Chelsea and Spurs have both expressed interest in apparent Anfield targets.

It won’t be long until the January transfer window gets very active. The Premier League as a whole will undoubtedly see a rush of action sooner or later, regardless of whether Liverpool is active or not before the end of the month. Clubs currently have just over two weeks to finalise any deals.

Newcastle recently released its financial statements and acknowledged that certain clubs are struggling with Financial Fair Play regulations. Even so, it is unrealistic to expect the richest league in the world to stay in check for very long, and Liverpool will be expecting its opponents to give up.

Specifically, Chelsea will undoubtedly invest more funds to address its numerous and diverse issues. As Liverpool considers whether to enter the market to solve its somewhat shoddy defence, the most recent report is that it has already had a sizable bid for a player who has been on its radar rejected.

The Reds’ other area of interest is defensive midfield, where they have made mention of Morten Frendrup. But with Spurs now in the race as well, it might not have a clear advantage if it decides to go.

Here, Liverpool.com surveys the other major teams in the Premier League and throughout Europe to see what news they have to report. We began with Chelsea’s most recent attempt at luxury shopping.

Spurs join Liverpool in Frendrup pursuit

At the beginning of this month, The ECHO disclosed that Liverpool is keeping a close eye on Morten Frendrup, a midfielder for Genoa. Scouts are probably doing that in order to get a better look at the 22-year-old in preparation for a possible summer transfer.

The Reds might have to choose whether to move ahead with those plans, though. That’s because Spurs now hold an interest in Frendrup too, reports Give Me Sport.

Spurs are now considering their former teammate Radu Drăgușin, a defender for Genoa, after scouts were impressed with what they saw. In January 2022, the Dane signed from Brøndby.

Liverpool has been here before, according to Liverpool.com. Luis Díaz was scheduled to join in the summer of 2022, but the deal was accelerated when Spurs became interested in January. In the end, he would play a significant role for Jürgen Klopp’s team in the closing stages.

Not everyone seemed to think Frendrup would fit in so well right away. If Liverpool is interested in him, it indicates that Klopp does, in the end, want a long-term specialist at the basis of his midfield. However, it begs immediate questions about the future of the brilliant Wataru Endō and where Alexis Mac Allister fits in.

Though Frendrup does appear to have potential, Liverpool may continue to evaluate him from a distance if Spurs decide against making a formal deal in January. It’s worth keeping an eye on.

Chelsea ‘has $66m António Silva offer rejected’

Chelsea’s attempts to sign António Silva from Benfica have been met with resistance. Portuguese publication A Bola claims as much (translated by Sport Witness).

Reportedly, the Blues offered $66 million (£52 million/€60 million), which is precisely half of his release clause. In order to part with its star defender in January, Benfica would need that condition fulfilled in full, and they have directed potential suitors in that way.

According to 90MIN’s report last month, Liverpool has dispatched scouts to watch Silva, and it appears that other teams are also interested in him. The most recent report also mentions Manchester United. However, it seemed improbable that anyone will take him for granted at this point.

Don’t totally rule out Chelsea just paying the clause, although that would be absurd, according to Liverpool.com. Silva, who is still only 20 years old, has made some encouraging progress, but not nearly enough to fulfil the salary cap specified in his contract.

Liverpool will be counting on Benfica to sway in the summer if its interest is sincere. However, the Reds are aware that a deal with the Portuguese powerhouse won’t be cheap because they had to smash their transfer record to acquire Darwin Núñez.