Liverpool can hijack Chelsea move for “England’s best LW”

Liverpool have come a long way over the past ten years. A decade ago, Jurgen Klopp had replaced Brendan Rodgers in the dugout and lost the Europa League final to Sevilla, but one year prior, all hope was lost.

However, the German boss led Liverpool to new levels of success, winning the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, more. More fundamentally, he restored Anfield’s status as a European superpower and left the club in a fantastic position for his eventual successor, Arne Slot, to continue his work.

Slot, in his first season as the Reds’ head coach, has won the English top-flight at a canter, and FSG are now rewarding him by backing him in the summer transfer market.

Jeremie Frimpong is officially a Red, and Milos Kerkez is closing on a move to Merseyside to shore up the left side of Slot’s backline.

However, the advancing deal for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is surely the most exciting of the lot, right?

Liverpool set to break transfer record

Liverpool are set to break not just their own but the British transfer record with the signing of German playmaker Wirtz, who is regarded as one of the most talented players in world football.

Liverpool have already launched a series of approaches for the 22-year-old, the latest of which totalled £105m. However, Sky Sports report that the German outfit are holding out for £120m, which would indeed see him overtake Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo as England’s record incoming transfer.

Stamford Bridge welcomed Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion in August 2023 for a whopping £115m fee, despite Liverpool reaching an agreement with the Seagulls only days before.

It was a big blow, one which led to ridicule when FSG instead opted to sign Wataru Endo as a stop-gap option at number six.

However, who got the last laugh? Endo thrived as Liverpool defeated the Blues in last year’s Carabao Cup final, and is now a Premier League champion. Moreover, Ryan Gravenberch has emerged as one of the best midfielders in the world, winning the 2024/25 Premier League Player of the Year.

The Reds could well be set to go head-to-head with the west Londoners on the transfer front again this summer…

Liverpool planning Chelsea hijack

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea aren’t just planning to stock up with the signing of Hugo Ekitike, but also Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, having made a £55m bid for the English talent.

That said, though, a host of further suitors are also interested, and Liverpool are indeed in the mix, along with Arsenal, Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

The suggestion is that the Anfield side – alongside City – could make their own effort to bring him back to England, ensuring a potential hijack is on the cards.

With Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo both being linked with a transfer away from Anfield this summer, Gittens could be the perfect rising talent to complete Slot’s frontline, allowing Liverpool to score some revenge on Chelsea in the process.

Why Liverpool should sign Jamie Gittens

Gittens, principally a left-sided forward, is only 20 years old but already has amassed 107 senior showings for Dortmund, scoring 17 goals and providing 14 assists.

This was also his most prolific term yet, notching 12 goals and five further assists from 48 games, though admittedly, the lion’s share of Gittens’ success came from the opening months.

Still, he’s young, and inconsistency is to be expected. Gittens was oh-so impressive at that point, though, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley even going as far as to claim he’s been “England’s best left winger in 2024/25”.

Furthermore, he’s received praise for his “special” Champions League campaign from Fabrizio Romano. Liverpool wouldn’t want to let such a talent strengthen rivals like Chelsea, now, would they?

The Caicedo misery has been offset and then some by Liverpool’s success over the past few years, but it stung with venom back during the 2023 transfer window.

And given Gittens has the potential to become one of the best in the business, Liverpool would do well to bring him in now, before his stock rises over in west London.

11 goal contributions from just 21 starts in the Bundesliga this year isn’t exactly a bad haul, especially when he’s so persistent and combative with his duelling, his defensive involvement.

Gittens might have tapered off a bit toward the closing stages of the 2024/25 season, but the underlying data drawn across the year still made an interesting comment on his quality and potential, especially since he converted eight chances and missed just four.

This suggests the prospect has a natural-born killer instinct in front of goal, especially important as Mohamed Salah approaches the autumn years of his Premier League career.

As per FBref, he already ranks among the top 15% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues for goals scored, the top 9% for progressive carries and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90.

Already one of the best ball-carrying specialists in the business, FBref have even linked him, through tactical comparison, to the likes of Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams and Real Madrid superstar Rodrygo, both of whom have been linked with Liverpool in recent months.

This simply adds another layer to the argument: Gittens offers the perfect style of play for the left wing, and FSG must throw the kitchen sink at foiling Chelsea’s effort.

With such naturally fleet feet too, Gittens is the real deal, and given Chelsea have opted against signing Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal, this could be the perfect way to exact their vengeance.

Caicedo might have rejected Liverpool two years ago, but then revenge is a dish best served cold, is it not?