Liverpool have been quoted an exorbitant transfer price for one ‘world-class’ player in whom they’re reportedly interested.
According to CaughtOffside, the Reds are showing an ‘increasing interest’ in Jamal Musiala, who’s into the final two years of his current contract at Bayern Munich and appears to be stalling on whether or not to commit his long-term future to the Bundesliga giants.
Sources speaking with the outlet hinted that the 21-year-old’s priority is to stay at the Allianz Arena, although he’s understood to be keen on keeping the situation open because of his ambitions to play in the Premier League.
The Germany international’s asking price is reportedly a whopping €180m (£152m), which obviously presents a major obstacle to Liverpool’s hopes of signing him.
READ MORE: (Video) Ryan Gravenberch makes cheeky Liverpool request to Netherlands teammate
Liverpool’s club-record signing remains Virgil van Dijk for £75m, although that’d be surpassed by the £85m for Darwin Nunez if the various add-ons from his transfer in 2022 are activated (BBC Sport).
The combined cost of those two mega deals is roughly what the Reds would apparently need to pay for Musiala, which makes a move for the Bayern superstar seem incredibly unlikely.
Follow Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
The 21-year-old is an exceptional talent, being dubbed a ‘world-class player‘ by Allianz Arena sporting director Christoph Freund. He also boasts an incredible pedigree for someone so young, having already surpassed 200 senior games for club and country and netted 50 goals (Transfermarkt).
As per FBref, the Germany playmaker ranks very highly among positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, most notably with his match averages for successful take-ons (3.95, top 1%), non-penalty goals (0.43, top 9%) and non-penalty xG (0.36, top 8%) and 82.6% pass completion (top 10%).
A potent number 10 with a proven track record at the highest level and an impressive series of underlying performance metrics, it’s no wonder that Bayern have placed such a stratospheric price tag on the former Chelsea starlet.
As outstanding as Musiala is, unfortunately it’d be hard for Liverpool to justify (and almost impossible to envisage) paying £150m+ for him. If the contract impasse continues and the valuation comes down, though, then a serious conversation might be worth having.