Arne Slot head coach of Liverpool meeting Pep Guardiola manager of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield on December 01, 2024 in Liverpool, England.Arne Slot head coach of Liverpool meeting Pep Guardiola manager of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield on December 01, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
Arne Slot head coach of Liverpool meeting Pep Guardiola manager of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield on December 01, 2024 in Liverpool, England. | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Ligue 1 star could be on the move to the Premier League with early contact made
In one of the most dominant Premier League title wins of recent times, Liverpool secured the crown with four matches to play and are preparing for the ultimate celebration following Sunday’s final day clash with Crystal Palace.
Arne Slot became just the fifth manager to win the Premier League in his first season in the English top flight, amongst esteemed names in the shape of José Mourinho, Manuel Pellegrini, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte. But only one of those - Mourinho - was able to back it up with a second league title in his second season, so Slot has the chance to make more history in 2025/26.
With rivals seeking to strengthen and put up a better title challenge next time around, Liverpool have been making serious moves in the transfer market with a lot of business to be done before the next campaign commences in August.
Moves for Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are heading in the right direction, while talks of an ambitious move for Frimpong’s Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Florian Wirtz have intensified - but another name has surfaced as Slot and the Reds board assess their top transfer targets ahead of the opening of the window in June.
Liverpool interested in Monaco ace
With the transfer window about to open, several Premier League clubs have shown an interest in AS Monaco winger Maghnes Akliouche, who has enjoyed the best season of his career to date.
Monaco have announced that “he will be the next player to depart” according to L'Équipe, but have made clear that they will only accept a substantial fee of €60m (£50m) for the 23-year-old.
Such an announcement is an interesting way to approach selling one of your key assets, but it has done the job of putting off PSG who value Akliouche at around £42m and are not currently willing to meet Monaco’s asking price.
Who is Akliouche?
Primarily a right-winger, Akliouche can also play in attacking midfield - which may end up being his position if the Reds were to sign him as an alternative to Florian Wirtz, such are the importance and flawless fitness of Mo Salah on the right.
Akliouche has been one of Monaco’s brightest stars this campaign as they finished third in Ligue 1 and reached the knockout stages of the Champions League. With five goals and 10 assists in 32 appearances in France’s top tier, Akliouche has created some stand-out moments which prompted football scout Ben Mattinson to brand the French-Algerian star “ridiculous”.
Expertly finding pockets of space to weave past the tightest of defences whether out wide or in the centre, Akliouche would provide further youthful competition to Liverpool’s attacking armoury. With just a couple of full seasons of regular senior football under his belt, Akliouche’s rise has been rapid and there’s no telling how far he could go.
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