Liverpool won't win silverware this season, but they might just board the Champions League bus once again, with successive Premier League wins creating some breathing room between them and sixth-place Chelsea.
The quality of this Liverpool side cannot be questioned. Scattered about Anfield are any number of elite players. Application is another matter, though, with the Reds being outthought and outfought any number of times throughout the campaign.
Will Arne Slot keep his job? FSG are notorious for keeping their cards close to their chest, but it does seem as though the intention at this stage is to enter the summer transfer market and fresh campaign with last year's Premier League winner at the helm.
Arne-Slot-Liverpool-PSG
However, more change is afoot, and with Hugo Ekitike out for the rest of the calendar year with an Achilles rupture, Mohamed Salah's expected departure at the end of his deal has complicated matters.
Liverpool begin work on new winger
Liverpool's dream target is probably Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, but the prolific winger is out of reach. Instead, plans have been drawn for Yan Diomande, who, aged 20, has already become a focal point for RB Leipzig.
Diomande would cost £87m, and though he would be the perfect Salah replacement, given the circumstances, Liverpool may well be set to complete a duel bid this summer.
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have started work on a potential summer move for Bournemouth winger Eli Junior Kroupi, who is also being scouted by Manchester United.
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Kroupi, 19, is an emergent goalscorer with a range of skills that would make him a welcome addition for a title-challenging club such as Liverpool, but he would cost at least £60m to pull away from the Vitality Stadium.
Ekitike's injury has exacerbated Liverpool's lack of options up top, and he could be the perfect short-term fix while also being a long-term investment.
Why Kroupi could be a bigger talent than Diomande
In essence, Diomande and Kroupi could cooperate in Liverpool's attacking system. Diomande favours the left, whereas Kroupi flits between the left flank and a central attacking role, invariably effective.
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In the Premier League this season, he is one of the most efficient shooters around, hailed as a "deadly and clinical" young forward by journalist Antonio Mango.
When Bournemouth signed the teenager from Lorient in Ligue 2 (for £12m plus bonuses), they landed a top goalscorer - but one who had only tasted a bit of highest-level action.
He's already been described as “the new Mbappe” by French peer Tiemoue Bakayoko, with his directness and fleet-footed running suggesting that he could develop into the next Les Bleus sensation.
Best Conversion Rates in the Premier League (25/26)
Player
Igor Thiago
Bruno Guimaraes
Viktor Gyokeres
Junior Kroupi
Danny Welbeck
*Minimum eight goals scored
Now, he's thriving in the Premier League, adapting far quicker than a few of Liverpool's so-called superstars. Kroupi has scored ten goals from 28 matches this season, starting only 16 of those games.
While stepping up to Anfield is a different kind of equation, scoring goals is within his wheelhouse, and his underlying data suggests that he could be a jackpot signing, having only missed three chances and played across a range of attacking roles.
Diomande might be more dynamic and well-rounded, but that is why he has been cherry-picked as the perfect Salah replacement on Liverpool's right side. Kroupi, meanwhile, is more single-minded in his offensive efforts, scoring goals and outfoxing opponents.
The confluence of the two on Liverpool's attacking flanks next season could be amazing for Slot's system, should the Dutch coach stay. The Reds have not had enough width and dynamism on those wings this season, a key reason behind their regression.
AFC Bournemouth's Junior Kroupi celebrates scoring their first goal with Adrien Truffert, Evanilson and Rayan
As we've seen with the likes of Florian Wirtz this season, though, the Premier League can be a tough place to come, and Diomande may take a while to get himself up to speed.
Kroupi's already here, thriving, and sporting director Richard Hughes' Bournemouth connections could see this one cross the finish line sharpish this summer.
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