Thomas Tuchel approves €60m Liverpool signing

Liverpool are tracking the progress of Fulham youngster Josh King and they have received fresh encouragement from Thomas Tuchel to pursue a deal next year.

King established himself as a first-team regular at Craven Cottage last season, but he has taken a major step forward in recent months and he has been an integral figure under new boss Alvaro Arbeloa so far this campaign.

The 19-year-old has been included in the starting XI in all nine of Fulham’s Premier League fixtures this term, scoring two goals and providing one assist, and he has arguably been their most impressive performer throughout the early months of Arbeloa’s reign.

King was included in England’s warm-up squad ahead of the World Cup this summer, alongside fellow youngsters Rio Ngumoha, Ethan Nwaneri and Alex Scott, and he has now been rewarded with his first official senior call-up for the November internationals against Croatia and Spain in the Nations League.

The Fulham star has been selected ahead of Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who has been omitted despite being fit and available, and Tuchel confirmed the reason behind this decision during a press conference held at Wembley.

“We have enough number 10s and we stick to the guys who were in the previous camp because we were happy with the two and a half weeks we had together,” the 53-year-old told reporters.

“We have Josh King as a new player in there, but I want to see him on both wings. He is kind of an extra player and he can play all four positions.”

On King specifically, Tuchel added: “He is just a fantastic character. He gives us a bit of flexibility.

“We decided to nominate 22 outfield players for flexibility in training and he is the extra player in training, if you will.

“He is an exciting player, a versatile player. In pre-season he helped us in training as a full back but we will not do that again. It is the attitude and the personality.”

Palmer is widely considered as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe, yet Tuchel has opted to leave him at home in favour of selecting King, which should give Liverpool additional encouragement to pursue a deal.

Rumours indicate that a fee of at least €60 million will be required to tempt Fulham into a sale next summer, but King’s recent form suggests that fee could be considered a bargain if his development continues.

Florian Wirtz has been a major disappointment since his arrival at Liverpool and if the Reds want a replacement with proven Premier League pedigree, King could be the perfect option in 2027.