Liverpool target drops transfer hint after holding talks with Slot at boss' home

Liverpool boss Arne Slot is keen on adding to his squad after leading the Reds to the Premier League title during his debut campaign at Anfield and could revisit a former target

Liverpool target Sam Beukema would relish the chance to play in the Premier League despite already turning down Arne Slot. The Bologna defender has been linked with a move to Anfield this summer as the Reds boss attempts to bolster his defence ahead of their title defence.

Should Liverpool end up pursuing him this summer, it would be the second time that compatriot Slot has attempted to recruit Beukema. He also attempted to take him to Dutch side Feyenoord while he was with Go Ahead Eagles.

It even went as far as the defender visiting Slot’s home for talks and a presentation on how he fit into Slot’s side. Revealing the meeting to The Telegraph, he said: “My uncle was even more excited than me! It was a really good conversation and he showed me things that I hadn’t thought of before.

“You could see he approached football differently to other managers and I had a really good feeling – and so did my uncle. He told me to go there but I said, ‘let’s wait’.”

And while Slot clearly made an impression on Beukema, the centre-back eventually decided to sign for Feyenoord’s Eredivisie rivals AZ Alkmaar. Slot got in touch with him once again once his future was decided, while they were also reunited once again earlier this season as Liverpool took on Beukema’s current side Bologna in the Champions League.

Beukema added: “He texted me and wished me good luck and said unfortunately you did not choose us, but I wish you the best for the future. We played Liverpool this season and I spoke with him, he asked how I was and said, ‘Now at this level, we are here’.

“He said, ‘You played a good game and surprised us, we didn’t expect you to be so aggressive and do so well with the ball’. I think he expected an easier game, but gave us a really big compliment.”

There could yet be another reunion between Slot and Beukema in the near future amid the ongoing links to Liverpool. The latter has suggested that he would be keen to test himself in England but is not in a rush to leave his current side.

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“I’ve been following the Premier League since I was a young kid and I love the competition,” Beukema said. “For me it is maybe the best league to play in. I’m playing in a really big league, but the Premier League is something different with all the big teams, the high level. You see the atmosphere also and it is amazing.

“Let’s see. I always like to challenge myself. I challenge myself a lot at Bologna, but I don’t know what will happen in the future. You can feel something special is coming here. We have these two objectives and want to achieve them both. We want to make history with the final. It will be really big for this club.”