Liverpool have firm interest in £70m “game-changer”

Liverpool could be crowned champions of England, once again, if they manage to avoid defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.

Arne Slot is aiming to win a title in his first year in the country, having replaced Jurgen Klopp last summer, and only needs one more point to confirm it.

The Reds beat Leicester City 1-0 last time out at the King Power, consigning them to relegation to the Championship, and they now have the chance to win the Premier League title in front of a packed-out Anfield.

Whereas, when they won their first Premier League title, under Klopp, the players were forced to celebrate inside an empty arena due to restrictions.

Despite Liverpool being on course to win the division, the club are looking at ways to improve the squad in the upcoming summer transfer window, in order to give Slot the best possible chance of following up on his terrific debut season with more trophies next term.

The latest on Liverpool’s interest in Premier League forward

According to Football Insider, Liverpool have a firm interest in West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus as they look to bolster their attacking options ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The report claims that the Ghana international is ‘firmly’ on their radar heading into the summer transfer window, because of several factors. Liverpool are believed to be interested in his Premier League experience and his versatility to play in any of the positions across the attack.

Football Insider adds that the former Ajax star has a release clause in his contract that would allow teams from England to sign him for £80m, but that the Hammers are prepared to go lower than that and would be open to doing business for a fee of £70m.

The outlet adds that Slot wants to add a top-class attacker to his squad in the summer transfer window, with Kudus emerging as one of the club’s targets.

West Ham’s star winger is not at the top of Liverpool’s list of targets, however, and this suggests that they may have to miss out on others before they decide to go ahead with a move for the dynamo.

Football Insider also claims that a £70m deal would be difficult for the Reds to get over the line if they do press ahead with a swoop for his services, and that they could have to sell some of their current talent in order to facilitate a move.

What Mohammed Kudus could bring to Liverpool

As aforementioned, Liverpool would be signing a player with Premier League experience, having played 60 times in the division, and this suggests that he could hit the ground running.

Rather than taking a risk on a player from abroad who may not be able to adjust to the English top-flight, the Reds could snap up a proven performer in the league, making it less of a gamble.

Kudus would also provide impressive versatility across the frontline. He has played 46 or more matches in each position as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, centre-forward, and right-winger in his career, which shows that the gem can adapt to playing in a multitude of roles across the pitch.

This means that Slot could play him out wide, through the middle as a striker, or as part of the midfield three, depending on the opposition and what suits the game, rather than being limited by the player only being effective in one particular role, for example.

Kudus, once described as a “game-changer” by analyst Ben Mattinson, can also provide quality at the top end of the pitch, as evidenced by his return of 18 goals and 12 assists in 75 matches for the Hammers to date, including 12 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League.

The 24-year-old ace has scored 11 goals from 12.02 xG, which means that the forward is performing around on par as a finisher, but he still has plenty of time left to develop and improve as a player at the age of 24.

The West Ham star, as you can see in the clip above, is an exciting player to watch who could get supporters off their feet with his ability on the ball, coupled with the goals and assists that he could provide.

This latest report about Liverpool’s interest in Kudus may not be exciting for everyone connected with the club, however, as it could be bad news for someone like Luis Diaz.

Why this is bad news for Luis Diaz

Football Insider’s report named the Colombia international as one of the players who could be sold in order to raise funds to afford a swoop for the West Ham attacker.

Diaz turned 28 in January and may now be at the peak of his market value, which could make it the best possible time for the club to cash in on him in the upcoming summer window.

It was reported earlier this month that there are teams in Saudi Arabia that are eyeing Diaz up as a potential target, and it was claimed in March that Barcelona are preparing to push for the ex-Porto star.

This suggests that Liverpool could have enough interest from other clubs to realistically cash in on the winger ahead of next season, which would provide them with more money to splash on new additions.

As you can see in the table above, Diaz’s finishing quality has fluctuated between the last two seasons and Liverpool may wonder if his current form is a flash in the pan or a sign of things to come.

The Reds could decide that the interest in his services makes it the perfect time cash in on him whilst his stock is high, given his return at the top end of the pitch this season, and to use the cash to sign a younger replacement like Kudus.

Therefore, the news that Liverpool are interested in signing Kudus, who is four years younger than Diaz, could be bad news for the Colombian’s future at Anfield heading into next season.