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David Tully Jul 18th 2026
Liverpool have been “holding talks over a deal” for Mainz midfielder Kaishu Sano, according to reports.
TEAMtalk claim the Reds are willing to match the Japanese international’s asking price, which is thought to be €60m (£51m).
Mainz are not prepared to back down on their valuation of the player, and it is believed that the Bundesliga side are determined to make a club-record sale.
Sano has been playing in Germany for the last two years, having joined from Kashima Antlers for €2.5m in the summer of 2024.
Liverpool could face a battle with other Premier League clubs
Arsenal and Tottenham have also reportedly expressed serious interest in Sano, along with Borussia Dortmund. The three teams are said to have contacted the player’s representatives.
At the moment, though, it seems as if Andoni Iraola’s side are the only ones open to matching Mainz’s valuation.
What do fans need to know about Sano?
At youth level, the midfielder spent some time at FC Viparte before he moved to Yonago Kita High School. His first professional club was Machida Zelvia, where he played over 100 times in J2 League during a three-year stint.
Sano secured a move to top-division outfit Kashima Antlers at the beginning of 2023, and he spent 18 months with the J1 League club. He received his first senior cap for Japan less than a year after his move, making his debut against Myanmar in a World Cup qualifier.
After joining Mainz in July 2024, Sano immediately established himself as a regular starter, making 36 starts during the 2024/25 season.
Last campaign, Sano started 46 times, helping his team to the quarter-finals of the Conference League and a 10th place finish in the Bundesliga.
At the World Cup, the midfielder was named in the first eleven for the first two group games and the defeat to Brazil in the round of 32. He scored the opening goal during the 2-1 loss.
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David Tully
David Tully
David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.