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Not Isak: Liverpool eyeing "the best CF on the market" & he’s more exciting than Wirtz - opinion

Time was, FSG were routinely criticised for their purportedly hesitant approach to first-team strengthening. Who's railing against Liverpool's owners now?

Certainly not those of a Reds persuasion, but there's no question that many of Liverpool's rivals have watched on and groaned at the ruthless attack on the market, pulling in not just numbers but players who have the potential to win Arne Slot more silverware over the coming years.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot looks on before the match

Liverpool will enter the 2025/26 campaign as the defending Premier League champions, having won last year's title at a canter. It will be a new season carrying all the newfound permutations and curveballs, but while pre-season predictions often fall flat, many will expect the Reds to be right up there in the thick of the title battle.

While fans have become acquainted with a trio of thrilling additions over the past few weeks, Liverpool still remain keen on a host of players.

Liverpool transfer targets 2025-1

Alexander Isak is the name on everyone's lips, as Liverpool need a new striker, but it doesn't seem that likely that Slot will get his mitts on the Sweden star.

The latest on Liverpool's striker search

Liverpool are trying to offload Darwin Nunez, who has been the focus of negotiations between the Reds and Serie A champions Napoli, but the two clubs are struggling to find common financial ground.

Liverpool's Darwin Nunez reacts

When the Uruguayan does take his leave, Liverpool will need to sign a replacement, especially as Slot was left wanting after a season of inconsistency and disappointment from his central strikers: Nunez and Diogo Jota.

Alexander Isak would be the dream, but at £200m the Newcastle United talisman is quite simply too expensive. That's why alternative names have bobbed up, with Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike both of a vested interest to the Anfield side.

Liverpool will need to get it right, bagging themselves a goalscorer capable of leading the line toward title-winning endeavours for many years. But it will have to be within financial parameters; FSG will want bang for their buck.

All this said, Liverpool have signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a British-record £116m fee, and the German should have enough about him to elevate any number nine Liverpool bring in.

However, there's another man whose name hasn't been discussed with the same intensity as the aforementioned, but who is very much in the race and could prove to be Liverpool's most exciting capture of the summer window.

Liverpool shortlist Isak alternative

According to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool have shortlisted Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as they prepare for Nunez's potential sale.

Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen celebrates after the match-1

Though it is the Naples side that want Liverpool's number nine, any dealings between the two clubs will be separate. Osimhen is expected to leave after returning from a loan spell with Galatasaray, relationships having previously broken down.

The 26-year-old might have his faults, but he's an elite-level goalscorer who would come at a cheaper price than the likes of Ekitike and Isak, also on the shortlist, with previous reports suggesting a figure in the £64m ballpark.

What Victor Osimhen would bring to Liverpool

Osimhen might not have envisaged a move to Turkey for the 2024/25 campaign, but he passed his stop-gap test with flying colours, notching 37 goals across 41 matches in all competitions, winning the Super Lig title.

Remarked to be "the best striker on the market" by Statman Dave, Osimhen hasn't exactly struggled to prove himself on other stages, either, so destructive and deadly in Serie A, and with nine goals and an assist across just 17 Champions League outings too.

He's also a proven trophy winner, leading I Partenopei to the league title in 2022/23 before an injury-hit follow-up year. Such exploits established the Nigerian international's "world-class status", as has been said by Sky Sports' Dougie Critchley.

Victor Osimhen - Past Five Seasons (all comps)

Season

24/25 - Galatasaray

23/24 - Napoli

22/23 - Napoli

21/22 - Napoli

20/21 - Napoli

Stats via Transfermarkt

While Liverpool were sent into a frenzy when they captured Wirtz, one of the most sought-after players in the world, replacing Nunez with Osimhen could work out to be an even more exciting deal.

Indeed, adding such an out-and-out striker to the ranks might just prove the difference-maker as Liverpool chase down hordes of trophies next season and beyond.

The disparity couldn't be much greater. Since arriving at Liverpool for a towering £64m fee, Nunez has only scored 25 times in the Premier League, playing 95 matches in total.

Osimhen would bring a wholly different style, and a clinical shooting quality too. He scored 26 league goals for Galatasaray and only missed 25 big chances, as per Sofascore.

Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen celebrates scoring a goal that was later disallowed

Furthermore, Arsenal and Manchester United have both been locked in talks with the African sensation as they look to shore up their own frontlines, underscoring Osimhen's attractiveness on the market.

When considering the partnership that could be forged between the striker and Liverpool's new maestro Wirtz, fans will no doubt find themselves awash with excitement, but it's Osimhen's prowess in the final third which might elicit the loudest roars.

Napoli star Victor Osimhen

He's hardly a static frontman, either, ranked last season among the top 18% of forwards across Europe for progressive carries and the top 4% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.

Liverpool need a striker, and while the overload of quality Slot has at his disposal suggests that a fair few marksmen worth their salt could play a prize-winning role for the outfit, Osimhen is a cut above and might prove to outperform even Wirtz if finally given a chance to shine in the Premier League.

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Liverpool have enjoyed a fantastic transfer window and it's not slowing down.

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