Liverpool look likely to add to their forward line ahead of the 2024/25 season.
The Reds already have a number of excellent options up top. But with uncertainty surrounding a couple, they may need more.
So far, the links have largely been to wide players. Mohamed Salah has just one year left on his contract and will likely need replacing at some point soon.
Johan Bakayoko has been strongly linked with a move to Anfield and it seems as though a player in his mould is the most likely to arrive.
Nevertheless, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, it can’t be ruled out that Arne Slot will look to bring a more orthodox striker to Liverpool instead.
Liverpool could reignite Viktor Gyokeres interest
As with pretty much everything Liverpool related this summer, a lot will depend on how Slot views the players at his disposal.
Until the head coach has had a chance to look at every member of his Liverpool squad in detail, it’s a little difficult to predict what the Reds will do in the market.
In terms of a forward player, most rumours so far have suggested that a wide player is the order of the day.
Liverpool are reportedly not planning to sell Darwin Nunez and as a result it seems unnecessary to add another out-and-out centre-forward to the mix.
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Diogo Jota is another who can play through the middle and with those two players Liverpool feel sufficiently covered.
Nevertheless, until Slot has worked with his players at the AXA Training Centre for a reasonable amount of time, it’s impossible to say whether he’ll be completely happy or not.
With that in mind, journalist Bailey has exclusively told Rousing The Kop that Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres could yet come onto Liverpool’s radar.
“They looked at Viktor Gyokeres before, it wouldn’t surprise me if they revisit that,” says the reporter. “He’s not cheap though which I think is hampering him this summer, they’re looking at 70 or 80 million which I think is impacting on his situation.”
What price would Liverpool pay for Gyokeres?
In some ways, you can understand Sporting putting such a high price on Gyokeres. The 26-year-old hit 43 goals in 50 games for them last season.
That is a quite remarkable number and was comfortably more than the 38 Erling Haaland managed for Manchester City.
Liverpool themselves paid a not dissimilar fee for Nunez back in 2022. The Uruguayan was coming off the back of a 34-goal campaign for Benfica.
So, if clubs want Gyokeres, then it’s only fair that they should pay for him.
In our opinion, Liverpool would need the price to come down quite considerably before they bothered entering this race. It seems unlikely, but if Gyokeres was up for £40-50m, maybe they would be interested.
If not, the Sweden international will surely be priced out of any move to Anfield.
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