Liverpool have been given a boost in their attempts to land Sadio Mane’s potential successor from a Ligue 1 club.
Mane has been one of Liverpool’s top performers since his £34million move from Southampton in 2016. He has reached 105 goals in 233 appearances for the Reds in all competitions.
The Senegal international struck on four occasions during Liverpool’s route to Champions League glory in 2018-19. He was also on target 18 times as they won their maiden Premier League title the following season.
Mane continues to be one of Europe’s most deadly forwards, but he will not be around forever. He is now 29 years old, which means a replacement must be found over the next few years.
The same is true for team-mates Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino, who are 29 and 30 respectively and help to make up the prolific front three.
The £41m capture of Diogo Jota from Wolves last year will help to ease the attacking transition, but more top-quality stars need to be brought in.
Rennes ace Jeremy Doku is one man under consideration. The €50m-rated winger, who is comfortable on either flank, put in some impressive displays for Belgium at this summer’s Euros.
He registered an assist in the 2-1 defeat to Italy as the Red Devils once again failed to live up to the hype.
Doku is currently on the sidelines recovering from a knee injury, but Liverpool scouts will be ready to act once he returns.
Doku’s father has now given an exciting update on the 19-year-old’s future. During an interview with HLN (via Sport Witness), he said: “We have not heard anything from Barcelona yet.
“That doesn’t seem right to me. I don’t think Barcelona are in a position to spend big transfer fees right now.
Kamara? Aribo? Kent? Defoe? – Who will Gerrard be raiding Rangers for?
“There are many other clubs who want Jérémy, although I am not allowed to say anything about that.
“He can say, ‘wait and see’. I don’t think he wants to change yet, but in football, everything can change quickly. It depends which team is interested.”
It looks like Liverpool will not face any competition from Barcelona for Doku’s signature. There is also the potential for a deal, should Liverpool stump up the right amount of cash.
Liverpool youngster ‘pushing’ key star – Klopp
Meanwhile, Klopp says young right-back Neco Williams is providing Trent Alexander-Arnold with good competition this season.
The 20-year-old is back on Merseyside after representing Wales during the international break. On the defender, Klopp told a press conference: “He is pushing for a start. He’s a young player and we are a good football team; it’s not that easy to get into the team.
“We have Trent there, [James] Milner has played there incredibly. Neco I saw for Wales and he did really well offensively. He can push.”
Williams is a graduate of the Liverpool academy who made his first senior appearance in October 2019 against Arsenal. He has featured three times so far this campaign, including a late cameo in the Champions League against Atletico.
READ MORE: ‘It’s win-win’ – Liverpool backed to accept ‘silly offer’ for Mo Salah
The post Liverpool boost as father of €50m Mane successor delivers promising transfer update appeared first on TEAMtalk.
James Holland
No comments:
Post a Comment