Liverpool accelerating move for the “perfect CF”

It was simply over two years in the past that Liverpool ended their pursuit of a sure Jude Bellingham, with reviews on the time indicating that the potential price of signing the Englishman – set to be over £100m – had confirmed an excessive amount of of an impediment to any deal.

Maybe there was extra to the story there, nonetheless, as mere months later, the Reds launched a mammoth £111m bid for the signing of Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, albeit with the Ecuadorian finally opting to hitch rivals Chelsea as an alternative.

Regardless of Jurgen Klopp’s prior claims that he had little interest in making such expensive strikes – one thing he later rowed again on – that pursuit of Caicedo indicated that, for the suitable participant, the Anfield hierarchy are keen to splash the money.

Certainly, the current £116m signing of Florian Wirtz is the proper living proof, with a quiet two years on the switch entrance having come to an finish in assertion trend.

If prior excessive profile offers are something to go by – specifically the £75m seize of Virgil van Dijk and the £67m transfer for Alisson – the Reds not often get it incorrect once they do spend huge, with it set to be a worrying prospect for the remainder of the division if Wirtz does swiftly sparkle on Merseyside.

With the German genius more likely to be the centre-piece of a brand new period at Anfield, now could be the time for Richard Hughes and co to construct the proper assault round him.

Newest on Liverpool’s seek for a striker

Darwin Nunez seems destined for Napoli. Final season’s false 9, Luiz Diaz, is the topic of intense curiosity from Bayern Munich. If these exits are green-lit, the Premier League champions will certainly have to dip into the market as soon as once more.

After all, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak seems to be the dream goal, but with that deal out of the equation, Arne Slot might properly must accept the following neatest thing. Even perhaps the following Isak, if you’ll.

Properly, current reviews from Spain would recommend that Liverpool and Hughes are doing simply that, with the declare made that the Reds are accelerating a transfer for Eintracht Frankfurt star, Hugo Ekitike.

The suggestion is that the Merseysiders are ‘keen to enter the bidding’ for the 23-year-old, albeit with Chelsea and Manchester United additionally displaying a ‘sturdy curiosity’ within the in-demand Frenchman.

Valued at €100m (£85m), the previous Paris Saint-Germain man actually would not come low cost, though whereas the race is claimed to be ‘extensive open’, it’s claimed that Liverpool are able to make the ‘first transfer’.

Forking out for a price near the prior club-record addition – together with add-ons – of Nunez might have a number of supporters fearing the worst, though all of the indicators level to Ekitike proving an actual hit, not least alongside Wirtz.

Why Ekitike could be the dream striker for Wirtz

Whereas Wirtz loved one other stellar particular person marketing campaign final trip, having chalked up 31 targets and assists in all competitions, it was the yr prior the place Bayer Leverkusen had really loved the fruits of his labour.

The German outfit memorably loved an unbeaten home season, alongside reaching the Europa League last, with the 22-year-old registering 38 objective involvements from simply 49 appearances.

The figurehead of Xabi Alonso’s devastating assault, Wirtz was little question aided by the array of expertise round him, specifically Nigerian striker Victor Boniface. The 24-year-old scored 21 instances in 2023/24, 14 of which got here in simply 23 Bundesliga video games.

In all, in simply 51 video games collectively, Wirtz and Boniface have mixed for 9 targets, with the previous having solely achieved extra joint objective contributions with 4 different gamers, albeit from nearly double the variety of video games.

As famous by the official Bundesliga web site throughout that double-winning marketing campaign, Boniface’s arrival had ‘arguably unlocked the total potential of the Germany worldwide’s offensive skill’, with the pair ‘forming a particular chemistry within the last third’.

Such a mix may properly be replicated if younger Ekitike is introduced into the fold at Liverpool, with the previous France U21 worldwide famous as a statistically comparable participant to Boniface, amongst these of their place within the Bundesliga, as per FBref.

That likeness is especially seen within the risk they pose within the last third, with Ekitike rating within the prime 5% for photographs per 90, in addition to within the prime 6% for touches within the attacking penalty space per 90. Boniface, in the meantime, ranks within the prime 3% and the highest 8% for those self same two metrics, respectively.

Such a single-minded streak would not essentially imply a egocentric streak, nonetheless, with the Frankfurt man notably creating 12 ‘huge probabilities’ within the German top-flight final time period, as per Sofascore. His Leverkusen counterpart, in the meantime, registered eight ‘huge probabilities’ throughout that gorgeous 2023/24 season.

Each towering focal factors when main the road, Ekitike can replicate Boniface’s influence as the person for Wirtz to work round, with the one-time Reims starlet capable of mix superbly with the German amid his expertise in possession, having ranked within the prime 8% within the Bundesliga for move completion.

Hailed because the “good centre-forward” by TNT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves, the £85m marksman may additionally show to be the ‘good’ striker for Wirtz at Liverpool…