AFC Bournemouth linked to former Liverpool defender Joel Matip
JOEL Matip is a “key transfer target” for Cherries this summer, according to a report in The Sun.
Matip is set to become a free agent when his contract at Liverpool expires next month.
Having joined Liverpool in 2016 from Schalke, the centre-back played 201 times for the Reds, scoring 11 goals and playing a key role in their success under Jurgen Klopp.
During his time on Merseyside, Matip won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Super Cup and Community Shield.
The 32-year-old featured regularly in the early part of this season, but has not played since December 3, 2023, due to a knee injury.
The Sun claim Matip is “high on the list” and a “key transfer target” for AFC Bournemouth, with boss Andoni Iraola identifying him as someone who “can help take his Cherries side to the next level”.
Fellow south coast side Southampton are also reportedly interested, should they seal their return to the Premier League with victory over Leeds United in Sunday’s Championship play-off final.
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Matip earned 27 caps for Cameroon, scoring against Brazil at the World Cup, before retiring from international duty in 2015.
Discussing the defender, Klopp said: “In all the years that I have been involved in football, I am not sure I have come across too many players who are more loved than Joel Matip.
“I’m not even sure it would be possible to say anything bad about him.
“A wonderful professional, a wonderful footballer and a wonderful human being – we have been blessed to have him with us for as long as we have and now all we can do is wish him well as he heads off in a new direction.”
He added: “If there was one person who wouldn’t care if he was underrated it would be Joel, but the truth is we could not have rated him more highly.”
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