A number of Premier League outfits are reportedly interested in making a move for Liverpool cup hero Takumi Minamino, with Southampton one of the clubs being linked with the former RB Salzburg man.
The Japan International scored 10 goals in 24 appearances for the Reds last season and spent time on loan at St Mary’s during the second half of the 2020/21 campaign.
It’s now believed that the south coast outfit are interested in taking the Japan international on a permanent basis, that’s according to Liverpool journalist David Lynch (via Transfer Tavern), who believes the 27-year-old is ‘closing in’ on a departure from Anfield.
“Takumi Minamino closing in on an #LFC departure with his agent having flow to Europe to field interest from Leeds, Southampton, Wolves, Fulham and Monaco. Situation likely to be resolved quickly – Liverpool hoping to secure £17m,” Lynch said via his Twitter page.
This comes following an update from reliable transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano’s update that suggests that the Reds’ No. 18 has a ‘good chance of leaving’ this summer.
The Italian mentioned that ‘Leeds have been following him for months’ and added that Minamino is seeking regular game time as Jurgen Klopp will have ‘other priorities’ in the attacking department.
Klopp’s side are holding out for a fee of over £15m for the player who has Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup medals to his name during his time on Merseyside, and with the performances that the Japan international throws in whenever he’s called upon, club’s may be more than happy to splash that amount of cash for his signature.
He may not be a regular starter at the club, but he’s certainly a great option to have on the bench – if he does depart the club, we will need to add reinforcements to ensure we retain our strength in depth heading into next season.
Sadio Mane also looks set to be on his way out of the club in the coming weeks, but Lynch has revealed that it will be Minamino that says his farewells first.
You can see Lynch’s tweet below via Twitter:
Takumi Minamino closing in on an #LFC departure with his agent having flown to Europe to field interest from Leeds, Southampton, Wolves, Fulham and Monaco. Situation likely to be resolved quickly – Liverpool hoping to secure £17m.https://t.co/XndIzMGdwL
— David Lynch (@dmlynch) June 8, 2022