Liverpool and Arsenal in mix for €20m deal – Nottingham Forest owner happy with that

Olympiacos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis has ended up on Liverpool and Arsenal’s transfer radar, and that pleases Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.

That’s according to Area Napoli, who mention both Liverpool and Arsenal when covering Napoli interest.

The 23-year-old initially joined Olympiacos’ youth system in 2018 and made his way into their first team a year later. However, he only started to enjoy regular game time since the start of last season.

Tzolakis has so far kept 57 clean sheets and conceded 96 goals from 118 matches for the Greek club.

Liverpool and Arsenal monitoring Tzolakis

His performances have seen Arne Slot’s side, the Gunners and several other clubs take notice.

According to the report, both Liverpool and Mikel Arteta’s side have monitored the Greece international in recent months. The Premier League duo have joined by Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in keeping close tabs on the stopper.

He’s also attracting interest from Italy. Antonio Conte’s side are following him while AS Roma and Juventus are showing interest. According to the report, the player is keen on making a switch to Serie A, but it won’t be easy because other clubs are pursuing him.

The Reds, the north London club, Bayern Munich and Galatasaray are all mentioned as his suitors outside Italy.

Marinakis can favour Liverpool and Arsenal

Tzolakis has less than 18 months left on his contract, and Transfermarkt currently value him at €15m. The Greek club are hoping to sell him in the summer and asking for ‘no less than €20m’.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis also owns Olympiacos. Area Napoli explain Marinakis is ‘raising the bar because he is convinced, he can place him [Tzolakis] in the Premier League.’

In other words, the Greek club’s owner is looking to send the player to England to earn more than €20m. For now, Liverpool and Arsenal are only monitoring the goalkeeper. It’s unclear whether the Premier League duo plan to make advances.

Arteta has David Raya as his No.1 at the Emirates and that’s unlikely to change if Tzolakis  were to arrive at Arsenal in the summer.

Scout Nektarios Kosmadakis talks about the Greek’s improvement over the last year or so.

“In the last year he has improved a lot with his feet and in his outings, but his strong point remains the penalties,” he said.

“We are talking about a young and strong goalkeeper, a class of 2002 who has a lot to give: a permanent goalkeeper, with a Conference League, four championships, two cups, a Super Cup… He is among the most reliable in Europe at the moment”.