Liverpool hold talks to sign “Ballon d’Or level talent”

Negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen are trundling on, however there is a willingness from every occasion to see Liverpool signal Florian Wirtz within the coming weeks.

To make certain, this can be a dizzying deal, however one which is able to present Liverpool with a really elite inventive participant, hailed by former Leverkusen man Patrick Helmes as “in all probability one of the best midfielder on the earth.”

The factor is, Wirtz, 22, is fairly good. Certain, that is foolish cash, however is there truthfully a participant on the market price forking out a British-record sum for, barring, perhaps, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak?

Liverpool need bang for his or her buck, and so they’ll get it with Wirtz, whose prowess as an attacking midfielder with elite ball-carrying abilities permits him to play throughout a wide range of roles, together with out vast or in a extra focal attacking berth.

It has been some time because the Reds have had such a profile. Possibly you’d should date again to Philippe Coutinho to discover a participant on Wirtz’s technical degree, or someplace comparable.

Liverpool need Coutinho 2.0

Dominik Szoboszlai is an attacking midfielder, however he is extra industrious and workmanlike in his soccer, solely clinching 15 objectives and 14 assists from 94 Liverpool appearances since becoming a member of from RB Leipzig in a £60m deal.

What Slot desires is Coutinho 2.0, with Liverpool promoting the Brazil sensation to Barcelona means again in January 2018 for a £142m payment. Jaw-dropping. That facilitated the transfers of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, successfully making a base from which Jurgen Klopp achieved his illustrious successes.

Hailed by Klopp as a “world-class” participant in his closing full season at Anfield, Coutinho performed an instrumental position in Liverpool’s meteoric rise, so prolific and influential, a reduce above for a lot of his keep.

Nonetheless, after his sale, Liverpool’s midfield reverted to a extra centered and pragmatic type, albeit rising into one thing extra dynamic over the previous few years.

Wirtz has been picked out as the person to take the baton. Liverpool are assured they are going to seal the signing of the German worldwide, however in soccer, as with life, you simply by no means know.

That is why FSG are making certain they’ve a contingency plan.

Liverpool maintain talks with Wirtz various

As per The Athletic’s ever-reliable David Ornstein, Liverpool have held talks with Lyon star Rayan Cherki, performing due diligence on a spread of targets in case the bid for Wirtz falls via.

In actual fact, it is understood that Slot left his vacation and flew to the south of France to have a face-to-face chat with the French expertise, who can be being courted by Manchester Metropolis in a £25m deal after their withdrawal from the Wirtz race.

If Liverpool are to pip Man Metropolis to the 22-year-old, who will value in extra of €30m (£25m), they are going to should be fast about it, with Pep Guardiola seeking to seal the deal within the coming days.

What Rayan Cherki would convey to Liverpool

Cherki is likely one of the most proficient gamers on the earth, one of the vital gifted and skilful. The caveat is that he is been tagged with a bad-attitude repute, however his performances throughout the previous 12 months do converse of a brand new maturity.

With 32 direct objective involvements from 44 matches in all competitions this time period, it is clear Cherki is the true deal, even regarded by information analyst Ben Mattinson as “a Ballon d’Or degree expertise.”

Situated centrally or towards the best wing, the left-footer is a inventive menace with the power to attain a objective with standout finesse. Furthermore, he seems to have reached a brand new degree in regard to his output.

Such qualities recommend he would convey a Coutinho-esque type to Slot’s Liverpool, particularly whenever you see the underlying information.

As per FBref, Cherki ranked among the many high 1% of positional friends throughout Europe’s high 5 leagues this season for assists, shot-creating actions and progressive passes, in addition to the highest 10% for profitable take-ons per 90.

Such metrics recommend Cherki just isn’t solely a playmaking wizard however a keen driver of the ball himself. Certainly, his flashy footwork and balletic twirls have foiled many Ligue 1 and Europa League backlines this time period, one thing Coutinho produced at Liverpool.

So then, the place are we with all this? Nicely, it is unbelievable Liverpool would hijack Man Metropolis’s transfer for Cherki if certainly they attain an settlement with Leverkusen for Wirtz, and whereas that ought to occur, every single day with out a breakthrough is one other day for Merseysiders to stress over that dreaded and sinking risk.

Nonetheless, if it had been to occur, Liverpool may rating an absolute blinder in stealing Cherki from Citizen clutches. Really, he is obtained the X-factor about him that gamers seldom possess. Wirtz is a kind of uncommon geniuses, and Coutinho, again in his heyday, was one other.