Liverpool leading race to sign “future Ballon d’Or winner”

Barring an unanticipated change of heart, Liverpool will cash in on their club-record signing, Darwin Nunez, this summer.

The ruefulness attached to Nunez’s three-year stay on Merseyside is a palpable thing. He arrived with such a weight of expectation. Such potential.

Jurgen Klopp watched the Uruguayan put two past Liverpool during the 2021/22 Champions League knockout stage and evidently liked what he saw, leading the chase to claim this dynamic attacking force for a figure which could rise to £85m.

Tall order, that, but one that Klopp and Julian Ward (Liverpool’s former sporting director) and the rest of them were convinced marked good business for one of Europe’s most explosive young strikers, who had marked 64 goal involvements across 85 appearances.

We need not dig too deep into Nunez’s Liverpool career, but the litany of missed chances, ineffective performances and frustrating moments stretches far and wide. Arne Slot is not impressed and is expected to line up with a new number nine this summer.

Liverpool chasing new centre-forward

With Nunez set to be sold, Liverpool will need to invest in a new striker to spearhead Slot’s second season and challenge for the biggest trophies once again.

Alexander Isak is the dream.

Top sources such as The Athletic have confirmed FSG are desperate to sign Newcastle United’s star man. And while a deal would be anything but easy, there would be few statements of intent to send more shockwaves through the division and beyond.

Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, to whom Isak is “the best striker in the Premier League,” has expressed doubts that he will wind up at Anfield due to the costs involved in agreeing a deal, but there’s no doubting he’s the gold standard and if the Magpies stumble in their race to qualify for the Champions League, Liverpool will be there to be sure.

Mohamed Salah is (of course) the one player in the Premier League to have outscored the Sweden international this term. ‘Only Salah has more’ is quite the familiar phrase at this point.

Success in renewing Salah’s contract will go a long way toward streamlining the summer plans. To put it another way, FSG need not worry themselves with finding a suitable replacement to play off the right flank just yet.

However, that’s not to say they wouldn’t pounce on a talented star if the right opportunity arrived. Bagging a focal goalscorer like Isak will be the priority from an attacking standpoint and rightly so, but one of Europe’s most gifted up-and-comers may be available for an eye-catching fee.

Liverpool leading race for top talent

According to The Daily Mail, Liverpool are alongside Manchester United at the front of the race for Rayan Cherki, who recently exited the Europa League against the Red Devils but did so with a stunning performance.

Lyon’s talented playmaker has been a revelation this season and is also attracting attention from Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, all intrigued by the 21-year-old’s £25m price tag.

Though questions have been raised about Cherki’s attitude, his sky-high potential cannot be questioned. Given that Liverpool have retained Salah’s services, this could be the perfect signing to add depth and quality to Slot’s attacking ranks.

What Rayan Cherki would bring to Liverpool

Cherki performs with the affectation of a man who wants to impress. The thing is, he does it very well. Hailed as a “genius” by journalist Julien Laurens, the Lyon star is one of the most awe-inspiring playmakers around right now.

Principally playing off the right flank, Cherki is often found in a more central berth too, maximising his fierce attacking gamut as he carves defences open, sparks joy for his forwards.

Across all competitions this year, he’s scored 12 goals and supplied 18 assists for his Ligue 1 club, with his blend of skills even leading The Athletic’s Alex Barker to claim he could be a “future Ballon d’Or winner.”

The Frenchman truly is one of the most effective around. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 4% for passes attempted, the top 1% for progressive passes and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90.

Balletic when gliding forward and incisive when making that perfect pass, Cherki would be a dream for a forward such as Isak. Though in this dreamy hypothetical, Salah’s matchless numbers would work a treat for Isak at number nine, Cherki is more relentless, more focused in his creative duties.

Isak might be a first-class goalscorer but he’s so much more than just that. Not only does he cover every blade of grass across the final third, but the 25-year-old also ranks among the top 9% of positional peers in the Premier League for successful take-ons made per 90.

He likes to run, and he does it with the surety of a world-class force. The Premier League requires a superstar to be made of many parts to succeed, after all.

Two uber-dynamic incomings such as these would go a long way toward apportioning Liverpool’s quality next season and allowing them to challenge across multiple fronts, something that lack of such strength in depth precluded this year.

But no matter. Liverpool are set to win the Premier League. Bringing Cherki and Isak into the fold would simply serve to consolidate this position of power under Slot’s wing and slingshot Anfield into a commanding lead once again next year.