Liverpool are in the market to find a clinical centre forward
Premier League champions Liverpool are searching for a striker that can propel the Reds to even further glory next season after a stellar debut campaign under Arne Slot.
The Reds steamrolled their way to the title with 84 points from 38 matches last season, giving them a 10 points cushion on runners-up Arsenal and a resounding 13 point gap on Pep Guardiola’s once untouchable Manchester City team. However, despite the manner of Liverpool’s title victory, it was still the lowest points tally of any Premier League winner since Leicester City in 2016, meaning it’s likely to be a much tougher test this time around as City and Arsenal both aim to get back to their absolute best.
Liverpool have already spent upwards of £150m on the likes of Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong but currently see the striker position as an area of weakness.
Why Liverpool need to sign a striker
Liverpool scored a league-high 86 goals last term but were heavily reliant on the goalscoring qualities of the imperious Mohamed Salah, who managed 29 goals and 18 assists in the league - surpassing the achievements of Erling Haaland and Thierry Henry in a 38 league game season while going level with Alan Shearer at Blackburn Rovers and Andy Cole of Newcastle United in the mid 1990s, with those two playing four extra matches.
However, behind Salah, Liverpool’s second highest goalscorer was left-winger Luis Diaz with 13 as Cody Gakpo ranked third with 10 strikes.
Both players, although capable of playing as a centre forward, are regarded as more natural wingers by Arne Slot, with Liverpool’s main central options of Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota both only managing a combined 11 between them.
Jota’s injury problems largely derailed his progress over the course of the campaign, but the same cannot be said for Nunez, who has struggled to find a home in Slot’s system particularly after January when the striker was publicly criticised for his workrate.
Nunez is expected to depart Anfield this summer amid interest from Napoli, while Salah will miss at least a month mid-season due to AFCON duties with Egypt, compounding Liverpool’s need to sign a recognised No.9.
The daring transfer hijack Liverpool should consider
Liverpool have been linked with a variety of different strikers this summer. Hugo Ekitike, a young striker from Eintracht Frankfurt is one of them after a terrific 15-goal breakout campaign in Germany. Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen of Napoli is another gaining attention as he seeks a move away from Serie A after a tremendous campaign in Turkey with Galatasaray.
However, in a shock turn of events, former Aston Villa frontman Jhon Duran, who had only moved to Al-Nassr to partner Cristiano Ronaldo in January, has suddenly been made available for transfer just six months after his blockbuster £70m move to the Saudi Pro League.
Duran found the net 24 times in 47 matches across all competitions last term, which is an incredible goal-scoring rate when also factoring in that he spent the first six months of the season playing second fiddle to Ollie Watkins. Better yet, he appeared to be hitting the ground running in Saudi Arabia with 12 goals in 18 matches as he showed just what he could be capable of when playing regularly.
Duran is in many ways a maverick and a player that’s blessed with incredible shot power, the ability to strike the ball beautifully from distance and also exceptional speed, power and a habit of making himself a nightmare for defenders.
Quite how much Fenerbahce are hoping to pay has not yet been made clear, but at 21 years of age, it appears they are in pole position to get an incredible player on their hands and one that could lead the line for years to come.
His availability should put Liverpool’s recruitment team on red alert as in many ways, he could present better value for money than Ekitike. For starters, he’s Premier League proven, two years younger than the Frenchman, has much greater experience in the Champions League, and has already proven he can find the net against some of the best teams.
He netted the winner for Villa in dramatic style against Bayern Munich and also treated fans to wonder strikes against Bologna and RB Leipzig among others. Overall, he scored three goals in Europe last season, meaning statistically he outscored Watkins in that competition despite only starting one game in comparison to the 29-year-old’s nine starts in that tournament.
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