According to a report by The Mirror, Liverpool are edging closer to signing Nick Pope from Burnley. The Reds have managed to complete high-profile deals for Naby Keita and Fabinho so far but it goes without saying that they must prioritise a move for a new goalkeeper this summer.
Despite all their success last season, the club failed to do much against Real Madrid in the Champions League final owing to two massive blunders from Loris Karius.
Ever since Simon Mignolet joined Liverpool, his performances have been rather inconsistent but the previous season harshly highlighted his shortcomings on numerous occasions, following which Jurgen Klopp opted to deploy Karius ahead of him.
Surprisingly enough, the 24-year-old played well and when it came to choosing a goalkeeper for the fateful night in Kiev, selecting Karius seemed like a no-brainer. However, his lacklustre display gifted 2 goals to Real Madrid and they comfortably beat Liverpool 3-1.
Since then, Liverpool have been linked with the likes of Alisson Becker and Jan Oblak. Both players are currently regarded in the bracket of top goalkeepers in Europe. Their price tags are certainly a clear indication of that as well, meaning the Reds would have to drop quite a lot of cash to acquire their services.
Signing either of these two would be a massive statement of intent from Liverpool but at the end of the day, they are looking for a goalkeeper and the Premier League has a few homegrown talents in that department.
Nick Pope received widespread fame last season due to his effortless displays between the sticks for Burnley. Tom Heaton, their first-choice keeper, was out for a good majority of the season due to an injury and Sean Dyche had no choice but to turn to Pope.
The youngster rose to the occasion as he stood tall against some of the most lethal strikers in the Premier League. As a result, Burnley secured a splendid 7th place finish to end their season on a high.
Pope not only boasts of a good amount of experience but he is also incredibly skilled. And the best part? Liverpool can acquire his services for a mere fee of £18million – which seems like a bargain compared to the steep figures demanded by the clubs for the likes of Alisson and Oblak.
One might argue that they are more skilled than Pope but the Burnley man stood strong in the face of adversity last season, which is more than what one can say about Liverpool’s current goalkeepers.