Liverpool reportedly lead the race for Leeds United’s Raphinha ahead of the opening of the summer window, according to TuttoMercatoWeb journalist Gianluigi Longari.
The Reds have been linked with the Brazilian star (valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt) for several months, with Jurgen Klopp said to be keen on adding to his forward line.
The poor performances of Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mane at times last term have highlighted the need for a new face to at least add some rotational opportunities for the German.
Given that the former Rennes star’s contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2024, we at the EOTK would have to cast some doubt over the potential signing happening.
Though we imagine the 24-year-old – whose playing style has been previously compared to Angel Di Maria – would fit in reasonably well at the club, we can’t see Liverpool spending much over the £40m mark for a new forward, which could rule out Raphinha.
We do remain tentatively linked to more financially reasonable targets, including RB Salzburg’s Patson Daka who played a tremendous season in Austria, finishing with 27 league goals.
After observing a lack of clinical edge from our famous front-three, we’d imagine Klopp to have identified the need for another ruthless finisher in his squad.
Who will be Gini Wijnaldum’s successor? EOTK Insider looks at the likely targets