Exclusive: Liverpool want £40m former Everton player and willing to swap long-serving player to get him
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Liverpool are huge fans of Fulham’s Antonee Robinson and could offer Kostas Tsimikas as a makeweight in any potential deal for the £40 million-rated Premier League flyer.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
With Andy Robertson perhaps no longer the same irrepressible force of old – the Scot’s 31st birthday is only a few months away – the usually seldom-seen Kostas Tsimikas has featured with a lot more regularity over recent weeks.
The Greek international has started three of four Champions League matches, including as Liverpool hammered Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen 4-0. He also replaced Robertson in Arne Slot’s XI during the hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory over Brighton and Hove Albion recently.
TBR understands, however, that Tsimikas’ Anfield future is still far from certain.
Liverpool are big admirers of Fulham speedster Antonee Robinson. And the Premier League pacesetters are prepared to offer Tsimikas as a makeweight in the hope that this would both bring down Robinson’s £40 million price-tag, and also open the door to a potential January agreement.
Liverpool ready to swap Kostas Tsimikas for Fulham’s Antonee Robinson
Robinson, interestingly, started his professional career on Merseyside.
The Milton Keynes-born America international graduated from Everton’s academy, spending seven years with The Toffees before leaving to join Wigan Athletic back in 2019. Half a decade on, Robinson has blossomed into one of the finest left-backs not only in England but the continent.
Liverpool’s scouts certainly believe that Robinson belongs among the elite these days, even if he is not the only left-sided full-back under consideration.
Liverpool like Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri, too, as well as Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez.
However, Robinson has been on their radar for a long-time now, with the left-back spot one area in Slot’s squad that could benefit from investment.
But while Liverpool continue to pursue Robinson in private, Slot has publicly been full of praise for the options currently at his disposal.
“My line-ups tell you what I think about this; We have two very good full-backs and we play many, many games," Slot told reporters before Robertson returned to his starting XI for the 2-0 victory over Aston Villa last weekend.
"Both [Robertson and Tsimikas] need their games because it's a position where a lot of effort is being asked. The players who have played most games is the centre-backs, who don't run the most compared to full-backs or wingers.
“So, there are multiple reasons why our full-backs or midfielders are sometimes rotated. But it has also to do with quality of players.
“I have two very good left full-backs and Kostas has started a few times.”
Antonee Robinson has already impressed at Anfield
Antonee Robinson signed a new long-term contract with Fulham as recently as the summer of 2023. The Cottagers may still struggle to retain his services with Liverpool offering Champions League football and a shot at silverware, however, though it remains to be seen how Fulham feel about the idea of Tsimikas moving in the other direction.
Robinson produced one of his finest individual performances – at least from an attacking perspective – as Fulham and Liverpool played out a seven-goal thriller at Anfield back in December of last year.
He assisted one of The Cottagers strikes in an eventual 4-3 defeat.
“What a performance from him,” Marco Silva told the BBC at full-time. “He was at a high, high level. I am pleased for him because some games before, he probably wasn’t at his best.
“So it has been good to see him react.”
