Liverpool have been linked with a move for a £44m Villarreal forward next summer, despite the Reds having just brought in Cody Gakpo from Eredivisie side PSV.
Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze is being linked with a move away from The Yellow Submarines, and Liverpool are supposedly interested.
That’s according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, who claim that Liverpool are among the parties taking a look at Chukwueze, along with West Ham, Everton and Arsenal.
Chukwueze has been with the Spanish side since 2017, when he was brought into the youth set-up as a 16-year-old. He graduated through their B side into the first team, and has been an ever-present since.
The Nigerian, whose main position is on the right wing, has endured a somewhat difficult 2022/23, scoring no goals from 13 games. Last season, he managed seven goals and three assists in all competitions.
According to the Fichajes report, Villarreal are looking in excess of £44m ($53m/€50m) to let go of the 23-year-old, though his release clause is actually a little higher at £56m ($67m/€63m).
Lionel Messi placed him third in his vote for the Kopa Trophy, an award for players under 21, voted for by former Ballon d’Or winners, but Chukwueze is yet to fully kick on his career after some early promise.
Given that Liverpool have just splashed major money on PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo, it remains to be seen if the Reds will dip back into the market in January for another forward.
However, that’s not to say Chukwueze isn’t an option for the summer, given that Roberto Firmino has entered the final six months of his contract. Jürgen Klopp was absolutely definitive in his press conference on Thursday when asked about Firmino’s future, insisting that he wants to keep the Brazilian around and offer him a new deal.
But with his contract expiring at the end of the season, it remains to be seen whether Firmino will extend or not. If he were to depart, another forward should be signed, but Chukwueze has probably not done enough yet to justify that sort of price tag.
Pep Guardiola knows Liverpool ‘problem’ Jürgen Klopp will face after Cody Gakpo transfer
Having added Cody Gakpo to his squad, Jürgen Klopp is about to enjoy the same luxury as Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, but it won’t all be plain sailing.
With the signing of Cody Gakpo now complete, Jürgen Klopp will soon be able to tap into some truly frightening depth at Liverpool.
Come March, by which point Luis Díaz and Diogo Jota should have returned from their injuries, he will have six quality attackers to choose from.
In more than seven years at Anfield, Klopp has never been afforded this level of luxury. Even last season, when Díaz arrived and Sadio Mané was still at the club, there were only five elite forward options at his disposal.
When any of the frontline players are injured, the German will be able to call upon world-beating back-up. And beyond that, he’ll be able to rotate to keep them all in peak condition without compromising his side’s chances.
The stylistic variety of his roster should enable him to exploit the vulnerabilities of each opponent, and he’ll also have another potential game-changer on the bench when everybody is fit. In short, Liverpool’s threat will become more comprehensive.
But with all these fresh advantages, there will be challenges too, as Pep Guardiola and Manchester City demonstrate.
City’s squad includes six top-drawer forwards in Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Julian Álvarez and Riyad Mahrez. Yes, Bernardo alternates between a midfield and wide role, but it’s still closely comparable.
In the last year or so, though, Guardiola has repeatedly had to deal with wantaway players.
Bernardo’s future, for instance, is said to remain ‘up in the air’ and while it’s ‘unlikely’ that he’ll leave in January, City may be willing to accept a ‘big offer’ (via The Athletic).
There has been long-term uncertainty around the Portuguese international, with Guardiola admitting in August that he ‘didn’t know’ whether Bernardo would say amid interest from Barcelona. Similar rumours had swirled around the former Monaco man 12 months earlier (The Athletic).
On the face of it, Bernardo’s continued openness to leaving City, who have been among the top three teams in the world for a number of years now, is puzzling. It would be understandable if his playing time was limited, but he’s started 14 out of 19 matches in the two biggest competitions (Premier League and Champions League) this season, and started 44 out of 49 last term.
But perhaps it comes down to feeling important. Bernardo has often been touted as the Premier League’s most underrated player, and maybe that’s because he’s almost in the shadow of others at The Etihad. By courting him long-term, Barcelona make him feel like he can become a bigger star in his own right at the Nou Camp.
Bernardo Silva of Manchester City has demonstrated a Liverpool problem (Image: Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
Fortunately for City, the ongoing reports have not affected Bernardo’s performance levels. He was, after all, named in the PFA Team of the Year for 2021/22 after helping them pip Liverpool to the title by a single point. But herein lies the problem — the prospect of losing one of their best players persists.
The cases of Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres, meanwhile, appear more clear-cut. Sterling was named on the bench 21 times in the two big competitions last season and resisted City’s attempts to tie him down to a new deal, instead successfully pushing for a move to Chelsea (The Athletic).
Torres, meanwhile, forced a move to Barcelona in part because of his frustration with limited playing time at The Etihad, and City lost a hugely promising player just 18 months after he joined (The Athletic).
Source: liverpool.com
