Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo remains a leading summer transfer target for Liverpool, with his current club potentially forced to sell him at the end of the season.
It would be a huge surprise if attacking reinforcements didn’t arrive at Anfield this summer, regardless of whether Mohamed Salah stays or not.
While the Egyptian superstar has enjoyed a magnificent season, and Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz have had good spells, there are doubts over Liverpool’s firepower.
Diogo Jota injury problems continue to plague him season upon season, while Darwin Nunez’s popularity doesn’t hide the fact that he remains an erratic presence.
According to a fresh update from TEAMtalk, Kubo is still a “top target” for Liverpool ahead of the summer window, and “failure to qualify for Europe could force Socieded to sell some of their best players”, including the Japanese and Martin Zubimendi.
It is stated that the Reds are “keeping an eye on several winger targets” to bring in and the Sociedad man is at the front of the queue currently.
A strong Salah backup option for Liverpool
Kubo is a right-sided winger who often cuts inside onto his stronger left foot, much like Salah, but the hope is that he isn’t considered a replacement for the Liverpool legend.
Instead, he could be looked at as an upgrade on Federico Chiesa, who has struggled to convince Arne Slot in their first season together at Anfield.
The 42-cap Japan international has enjoyed a solid campaign for Sociedad, scoring five goals, although it should be noted that he hasn’t registered a single assist in 27 appearances in the competition, which isn’t impressive.
Still, Kubo is a talented young player with 41 goal involvements for his current club, and Zinedine Zidane has been an admirer in the past, saying of him during his time on loan at Real Mallorca from Real Madrid:
“I think he’s having a good season. He’s playing a lot and that’s what we all wanted. He is a very interesting player, for the present and the future. I’m happy he’s doing well. Of course, if he were to stay at home tomorrow then that’d be better.”
At 23, there is plenty more to come from Kubo, who could learn from playing alongside someone of Salah’s stature, but he isn’t yet at the level required to be a replacement for him.