In an attempt to bolster Arne Slot’s team following their Premier League victory, Liverpool has acted swiftly to address several critical positions in their roster. Trent Alexander-Arnold was quickly replaced by Jeremie Frimpong, who was purchased from Bayer Leverkusen for £29.5 million.
In order to free up Caoimhin Kelleher to join Brentford, the Reds made sure they had already signed a new goalkeeper after agreeing to a £29 million deal with Valencia 12 months in advance for Giorgi Mamardashvili last summer.
In the meantime, Liverpool is trying to replace Andy Robertson in the long run by acquiring Milos Kerkez from AFC Bournemouth, even though they are strengthening at number 10 by negotiating a club-record deal with Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz.
Although the Reds have long been predicted to move for a new center-forward, it looks like fans will have to wait a little while longer for them to make moves for players in other positions.
Federico Chiesa has acknowledged that he is amenable to returning to Italy, and Darwin Nunez is anticipated to depart the team this summer. Luis Diaz has also stated that he is in negotiations with other teams following Liverpool’s rejection of Barcelona’s offer.
The future of Diogo Jota is also unclear, and Bayern Munich has expressed interest in Cody Gakpo.
As club managers weigh their options, it makes sense that even though the Reds are expected to bolster their attacking ranks, such a pursuit might have to wait until there is also movement on the outgoing front.
This summer, Liverpool is not alone in their search for a new center-forward; teams like Manchester United and Arsenal are also interested. Chelsea is as well, despite having already paid £30 million to acquire Liam Delap from Ipswich Town.
Not surprisingly, the same limited pool of top center-forwards continues to be linked to the clubs in the striker market, which is already looking to be a challenging one. Specifically, Hugo Ekitike, Julian Alvarez, Benjamin Sesko, Victor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen, and Alexander Isak.
Perhaps the “dream” signing would be Isak or Alvarez, but both players currently seem to be the most difficult to acquire.
There is still conjecture regarding which forward Liverpool will pursue if and when the time comes.
According to German media, the Reds are vying for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ekitike, while TBR Football asserts that Liverpool has discussed a possible transfer with Osimhen’s team.
With a reported £63 million release clause, the Nigerian, who played this season on loan at Galatasaray, is expected to depart Napoli this summer.
In order to pursue a move in Europe, he has turned down Al-Hilal’sinterest.According to reports in Italy and TBR Football, he wants to make his “dream move” to the Premier League.
On paper, Liverpool’s pursuit of Osimhen makes sense. Despite only being 26 years old, he has established himself as one of Europe’s most lethal finishers in recent years. He has made 248 appearances with Charleroi, Lille, Napoli, and Galatasaray in Belgium, France, Italy, and Turkey since the 2018–19 season began, scoring 151 goals.Italy has a reputation for having a strong defense, and 105 appearances in Serie A accounted for 65 of those goals. In the past two seasons, he has also assisted in propelling Galatasaray and Napoli to league titles.
A £63 million release clause is reasonable—possibly even a steal at his actual market value—and Osimhen’s availability makes him a compelling prospect for the team that signs him.
It is simple to understand why Liverpool is being mentioned as a possible suitor when you consider Reds sporting director Richard Hughes’ well-established, solid Italian ties.
After all, Hughes only exploited a comparable chance in Italy last year to sign Chiesa from Juventus for a pitiful £10 million upfront.
However, this does not guarantee a transfer, even though it makes sense for the Reds to pursue the Nigerian striker. Not at all.
Maybe this time, Chiesa’s predicament should serve as a warning sign against such a pursuit. Despite being considered one of Italy’s most talented players, the forward ultimately failed to make an impression in his debut season at Anfield.
Despite winning the Premier League at the end of the season, Chiesa only made 14 appearances and made four starts for Liverpool.
He had to wait until the penultimate game of the season, long after the league was won, to make his Premier League debut because six of his appearances were in the English top flight.
Chiesa has spent most of the season being linked to a quick departure, but his recent statement that he would be amenable to returning to Italy makes an Anfield departure seem likely.
Naturally, Osimhen would still have an impact on the Reds even if Chiesa hasn’t had the expected one. Additionally, possible transfer negotiations would be facilitated by the fact that Napoli has long been linked to a move for Liverpool’s number 14.
For example, the Reds held talks with Leverkusen for Wirtz after their swoop for Frimpong. Additionally, discussions about Fabio Carvalho’s loan transfer to RB Leipzig two years ago made it possible for Dominik Szoboszlai to leave.
However, the fact that Osimhen will be representing Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations in January should also be taken into account by prospective suitors.
Mohamed Salah will already be gone from Liverpool due to the tournament, and the forward may miss as many as ten games. If Osimhen were headed to Anfield, the same would hold true.
It would undoubtedly be a blow to lose their two top scorers for an extended amount of time if the Reds did end up pursuing the Nigerian center-forward, given that they will be hoping that whichever striker they choose can help reduce the scoring load on Salah.
For the record, the ECHO has previously stated that, as far as we can tell, Liverpool is not currently planning to move for Osimhen because their priorities are elsewhere.
Naturally, that does not preclude the 26-year-old from making a move later in the summer. However, the Reds’ pursuit of a striker is still in the background for the time being.
In a market that is already beginning to take center stage during the summer transfer window, Liverpool will continue to be linked to new center-forwards in the coming weeks.
All Reds fans can do, however, is wait for Liverpool to make their move and everything to fall into place, since several clubs are already searching on their own and several strikers are expected to move on as a result. Only time will tell if Osimhen is still being discussed when the time comes.