In the dying embers of the summer transfer window, Liverpool got the deal to sign Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich over the line, wrapping up the transfer for roughly £34m.
It was the end of a market that had stretched every emotion of those on the red half of Merseyside, missing out on the likes of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea but then replacing many of the struggling midfielders with exciting new signings.
Creative stars Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were the first to arrive, while the Premier League club signed Wataru Endo after missing out on the Chelsea-bound duo and indeed iced the cake with the acquisition of Gravenberch.
Jurgen Klopp still has work to do over the coming months to fortify his squad with impactful signings, and according to recent reports, the German has rekindled interest in a summer target.
Liverpool transfer news – Khephren Thuram
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Liverpool are among the clubs monitoring Khephren Thuram's situation with OGC Nice, Manchester City and Manchester United also interested.
It's revealed that both United and Liverpool have been in contact with the player's agents and the club itself, who would be happy to grant his departure and are eager to hold an auction to recuperate as much as possible.
The France international is out of contract in 2025 and has been immense for his Ligue 1 side over recent years, but given that he is valued at €40m (£34m), whether Klopp will forge ahead with a move remains to be seen.
Khephren Thuram's style of play
Thuram is regarded as an exciting talent and a multi-functional midfielder with a knack for breaking up the play and distributing into promising positions, or indeed opting to carry the ball into the danger area himself.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 3% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries, the top 5% for successful take-ons, the top 15% for shot-creating actions and the top 13% for shots taken per 90.
Effectively, this evidences the player's natural aptitude as a vehicle, stretching the lines and allowing his teammates to find space and overload defences – with Les Aiglons sixth in Ligue 1 after 15 matches, this appears to be working.
Not just a penetrative midfield presence, Thuram – who has chalked up 150 appearances for Nice, scoring eight goals and supplying 11 assists – has been touted to become a "monster" of a player under Klopp's stewardship by analyst Sam McGuire, and given such traits and his dynamism, it's understandable why Klopp was so invested in pursuing his signature in the year.
While not the specialist No. 6 that Liverpool perhaps need, Thuram is adept across multiple roles and could certainly play such a part when called upon, with Ligue 1's official profile piece listing the Frenchman as a modern-day Sergio Busquets.
Placing praise on his skill set, Thuram's former youth coach, Serge Gnahoré, said: "He's a player with technical ease far above the average and physically ahead of others in his age group. He's intelligent, kind and endearing. He plays as a central midfielder but will end up in defensive midfield over time. He has significant potential and can have a great career."
Self-proclaimed to be effective wherever he is deployed, Thuram seems to embody the qualities that Klopp so dearly craves to turbo-charge his engine room.
Khephren Thuram's season in numbers
As per Sofascore, Thuram has earned 11 starts in the French top-flight this season, completing 89% of his passes and averaging 4.5 ball recoveries and 1.3 tackles and key passes per outing, showcasing his protean ability in the middle.
The 22-year-old has also completed 65% (1.5) of his dribbles per game, highlighting the progression that always seems to occur when he finds space to roam in the centre of the park.
Blocking the ball
Tackling
Dribbling
Key passes
*Sourced via WhoScored
With Nice performing so admirably and conceding so few goals (Francesco Farioli's side have shipped just six all term, a divisional best) Thuram's role in sweeping away transitions in the engine room is one of great success.
But the question of whether Liverpool would need to make their move remains, with Gravenberch capable of performing all of the 6 foot 3 phenom's duties with just as much success.
How Khephren Thuram compares to Ryan Gravenberch
Having fallen by the wayside with Bayern Munich in Germany, starting just three Bundesliga fixtures across the 2022/23 campaign, Gravenberch received a new lease of life when transferring to Liverpool before the deadline in August.
This season, having been unleashed, the Dutchman has made a flying start to life on English shores, posting two goals and assists apiece across 18 matches thus far and receiving praise for his "sensational" impact by journalist Josh Bunting.
The 21-year-old ranks among the top 18% of positional peers for goals, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 11% for progressive passes, the top 6% for successful take-ons and the top 8% for blocks per 90.
Creative and zestful, the £150k-per-week ace is still in the early stage of his career but has demonstrated much potential, and Liverpool will be delighted with success in getting the move over the line.
As the graph corroborates just below, Thuram and Gravenberch are seemingly cut from the same cloth; one would assume that Klopp and his transfer team weighed up the respective skill sets and made their choice.
1
Khephren Thuram
OGC Nice
2
Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid
3
Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool
4
Joelinton
Newcastle United
5
Conor Gallagher
Chelsea
While Thuram is a talented midfielder with an illustrious future undoubtedly attainable, it might not be the best call for the Anfield side to throw precious transfer funds on a deal, unless, of course, Klopp wishes to permanently anchor him at the base of the midfield.
With the likes of Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szboszlai, Curtis Jone and Harvey Elliott all eager to shine at the club, it's increasingly clear that a player of pure defensive qualities might be the best option going forward.
With the defence also needing attention, perhaps Liverpool should shelve their intrigue in Thuram once again, with Gravenberch offering the tools to serve the multi-functional role well over the coming years – adding a player of similar like would only be detrimental to his progress.
