Liverpool may need to steel themselves this summer for a potential bid with Newcastle United reportedly eyeing up £60m-valued Diogo Jota in a bid to react to the exit of Chris Wood and Callum Wilson’s drop in form.
This update comes courtesy of the reliable Jacque Talbot of Football Transfers, with the player having been added to a shortlist also containing Leicester’s James Maddison.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨
Newcastle want Diogo Jota
By @jac_talbot #LFC #NUFC https://t.co/bKlhTIVxRS
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) March 9, 2023
The Portuguese international has struggled for availability this term, owing in no small part to a couple of muscle injuries, which had reduced him to making only 14 appearances.
Six assists were yielded from clashes with Porto, Wolves, Ajax and Arsenal, though, rather worryingly, the former Wanderers man has yet to find the net once this term.
Talbot’s correct to point out that increased competition for places thanks to the rise of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo will certainly add to the challenge of breaking back into our starting-XI on a regular basis.
Still, it would seem an absolutely strange decision to part ways with a generally vital member of the squad after handing him a long-term contract (not set to expire until 2027) back in August last year.
At 26 years of age – even despite his injury record – we’d imagine Klopp and his recruitment team would be inclined to value the player (whom the former clearly adores) higher than £60m were an exit to be considered.
Perhaps it’s an avenue the club may explore to land our top targets in the summer, though it’s not a move we could see being a popular one amongst the Anfield faithful.