As they look to complete a rebuild of their forward line, Liverpool have reportedly made a surprise approach to sign Everton star Iliman Ndiaye.
The Reds overhauled their attacking options during the summer transfer window, but still look short of a player or two.
Antoine Semenyo appears to be a top target for Liverpool heading into the January transfer window, with the Reds seemingly looking to sign a pacy, goal-scoring winger.
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Who is your dream Liverpool January signing?
But the Bournemouth man will not be the only player on their shortlist, and reports from France insist that Liverpool are readying a move to sign Ndiaye.
Clearly, the Reds’ rivalry with Everton makes any deal for the 25-year-old look complicated. However, there is a precedent which suggests a move is not completely impossible.
Abel Xavier is the last player to move from Everton to Liverpool
Ndiaye is not the only Everton player supposedly catching the eye of their city neighbours. Jarrad Branthwaite has regularly been mentioned as a target for Liverpool as well.
While both transfers do seem difficult to do, supporters would do well to remember that players have gone from Everton to Liverpool in the not too distant past.
Milos Kerkez for Liverpool against Everton
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
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The most recent of these was Portuguese defender Abel Xavier, who joined Liverpool directly from Everton in January 2002.
Coming in at around £800k, Xavier’s transfer was hardly a blockbuster one, but it did show that negotiations between the two Merseyside clubs are possible.
So did a much bigger transfer two years earlier, when Liverpool moved to sign star Everton man Nick Barmby for £6m.
A move for Ndiaye would much more closely resemble Barmby’s controversial switch, and although nobody has swapped blue for red in over 25 years, if the package is right, maybe this is possible.
Liverpool’s top 10 biggest January signings
Virgil van Dijk
Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
1. Virgil van Dijk – £75m, 2018
2. Luis Diaz – £43m, 2022
3. Cody Gakpo – £35m, 2023
4. Andy Carroll – £35m, 2011
5. Luis Suarez – £22.7m, 2011
6. Javier Mascherano – £18.6m, 2008
7. Daniel Sturridge – £12m, 2013
8. Philippe Coutinho – £8.5m, 2013
9. Fernando Morientes – £6.3m, 2005
10. Martin Skrtel – £6m, 2008
Everton wished Liverpool well after Nick Barmby deal
Barmby’s transfer to Liverpool came on the back of the winger refusing to sign a contract which would have made him the best paid player in Everton history at that point.
But while fans were understandably angered at Barmby, Everton themselves were seemingly happy to do business with Liverpool.
“The clubs wish to emphasise that negotiations have continued over the past week in a spirit of goodwill and integrity, and they both wish each other success in the forthcoming season,” the Toffees said in a statement while confirming Barmby’s sale.
The football landscape of course looks much different nearly three decades later, and the ownership of both clubs has changed dramatically.
But if they were willing to put their differences aside over a tricky winger in the Premier League once before, perhaps there is a chance Everton and Liverpool could do it again.
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