Liverpool want to sign 22-year-old playmaker who bagged 17 goals last season, Aston Villa also keen

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Liverpool are interested in signing Japan international Keito Nakamura from LASK in Austria.

The Reds have previously been said to have scouted Nakamura, and according to The Daily Mail, have now ‘entered the race’ to sign him this summer.

And quite a race it looks like being, too. As well as the Reds, Aston Villa, Burnley and Borussia Dortmund are claimed to be sniffing around the attacking midfielder. A handful of other sides from across Europe reportedly want to sign him, too.

That’s for good reason as well. Nakamura had an excellent season with LASK, scoring 17 goals across the regular season and the ‘Championship Group’ in Austria.

Following this form, the 22-year-old is now said to be ‘expected’ to leave his club this summer. A move to the Premier League is reportedly a real possibility, with a relaxation on post-Brexit rules for foreign players coming to England this week.

Liverpool join Nakamura race

As Liverpool continue to be linked with all sorts of players this summer, this one comes a little out of left-field.

The Reds were named in connection to Nakamura back in January, but there have been no murmurings since. It seems unlikely that Liverpool will add a forward this summer, but if they do, it’ll probably be someone like the Japanese.

Heading into the window, supporters were perhaps hopeful of some big spending by their club. Dreams of £100m+ on Jude Bellingham and £80m odd on Moises Caicedo were rife.

Instead, it now looks like Liverpool will do what they always do, and shop in the bargain basement.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, especially when bargains like £35m man Alexis Mac Allister can be found. Supporters often decry the failure to unearth players like Mac Allister and Caicedo at their root but also want big fees spent. You can’t always have it both ways.

In terms of Nakamura, he could well be one of those gems the likes of Brighton often seem to find on the cheap.

There’s no mention of transfer fee here, but you can’t imagine it’d be all that much. The crowded nature of the race to sign him may change that, but Liverpool should still be able to get their man if they wish. We don’t mind these kinds of deals, but some will want bigger names on the agenda.