‘In the market for…’ – Top-tier source hints at prospective Liverpool summer transfer activity
David Ornstein has issued a telling clue as to which position on the pitch Liverpool could prioritise in the summer transfer window.
Despite spending almost £450m on new players over the past 12 months, there was still a sense of what might’ve been for the Reds over the failed pursuits of Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo, both of who ultimately signed for Manchester City in January.
While LFC have somewhat addressed their centre-back depth by securing a deal for Jeremy Jacquet, the search for another wide attacker to supplement Arne Slot’s current squad is set to continue.
Ornstein expecting Liverpool to sign a winger in the summer
On the latest episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, Ornstein – widely regarded as a top-tier source on transfer news – indicated that a wide forward is likely to be near the top of the agenda for Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes over the next few months.
The journalist said: “I expect a wide attacker to be signed. They were in for Semenyo previously; he didn’t come to them, but I think that’s what they’re in the market for.”
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Liverpool’s drastically diminished output from wide attacking positions has been a feature of this chastening season, with Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo neting just 17 times between them from a combined tally of 71 appearances.
Slot has been slow to trust in backup options Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha, although the latter is becoming increasingly hard to ignore after a series of eye-catching performances in his debut campaign as a senior player.
Ex-Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown has claimed that Anfield chiefs could be open to selling either Salah or Gakpo in the summer if they were to receive lucrative offers, but are unlikely to cash in on both of their starting wingers.
Which winger(s) are Liverpool most likely to pursue?
If Liverpool are to pursue a wide attacker in the summer transfer window, it’ll be intriguing to see who emerges as their preferred option.
Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise has been an oft-cited target, with Bundesliga insider Christian Falk recently claiming (via CF Bayern Insider) that the Reds are poised to pounce on any contractual uncertainty for the Frenchman at the Allianz Arena.
Having scored 15 goals and set up another 26 already this season, it’s no wonder that the ex-Crystal Palace star would be highly coveted by Hughes, and at just 24 years of age he’d be at a broadly similar age profile to Salah when he joined LFC in 2017.
If Liverpool can land the Bayern wizard in the summer, it’d more than make up for missing out on Semenyo to Man City.
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