20% off: Liverpool handed potential transfer boost over ‘difference maker’ on Hughes’ radar
Liverpool appear to have been handed a boost to their hopes of landing one player for whom they’re expected to step up their pursuit.
The Reds’ attack could be in for a significant shake-up over the summer, with Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota all being touted with potential departures and Mo Salah’s contract situation yet to be resolved.
Should one or more of those leave Anfield after the current season, Arne Slot would undoubtedly be imploring Richard Hughes to swiftly bring in a replacement of the requisite quality.
Liverpool to check on Xavi Simons’ availability
According to CaughtOffside, Liverpool are set to make a check on the availability of Xavi Simons as they step up their interest in the Netherlands international.
In what could be a welcome development for the Reds, RB Leipzig have lowered their asking price for the winger/attacking midfielder from €100m (£83.7m) to €80m (£67m), a 20% drop which might further incentivise prospective suitors to pounce for the 21-year-old.
Despite the Dutchman making a positive impression for Marco Rose’s side, they had never anticipated keeping him at the club for the long-term, which is perhaps unsurprising for a player who’s had three permanent transfers since June 2022.
What qualities could Simons bring to Liverpool?
There are plenty of standout reasons as to why Liverpool would be interested in raiding Leipzig once more for Simons, having previously signed Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate and Dominik Szoboszlai from the Bundesliga club.
At 21 his career is still in his relative infancy but he’s also had plenty of high-level exposure in Europe, while his aptitude for readily alternating between a left winger and attacking midfield position offers a tactical versatility that Slot will surely appreciate.
Rose has labelled the youngster as a ‘difference maker‘ for his side, and he boasts some impressive underlying performance statistics. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 20% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for progressive passes, expected xG and shot-creating actions per 90 minutes.
Simons’ return of eight goals and five assists in 25 games this season is decent but not spectacular, and even with Leipzig reducing their asking price, Liverpool must still evaluate whether they’d be prepared to pay £67m+ for the Netherlands international.
As outlined by James Pearce this week, the Reds’ summer transfer budget could be significantly dictated by whether or not they renew the contracts of Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, while they’ll also be mindful of tring to fund deals for other targets such as Alexander Isak and Milos Kerkez.
The Dutch attacker is certainly worthy of inclusion on Hughes’ shortlist, but how hard LFC push for him could be dictated by other spinning plates.
The post 20% off: Liverpool handed potential transfer boost over ‘difference maker’ on Hughes’ radar appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.