Arne Slot pushing Liverpool to sign £67m Benfica midfielder in January after watching him this season

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Despite an excellent start to their season, there’s little question that Liverpool could still do with a couple of new additions in 2025.

The Reds chose to stay very quiet during 2024, signing only Federico Chiesa to their immediate squad.

The next year is set to be different, however, with a new midfielder still likely to be in the sights of Arne Slot at the very least.

Liverpool tried to sign Martin Zubimendi ahead of the new campaign and although Ryan Gravenberch has excelled after Zubimendi rejected the move, another option is needed in the Liverpool squad.

While it would seem logical that the player who ultimately joins will be a deeper-lying midfielder, reports from Portugal have suggested that Slot has a different plan up his sleeve.

Having seen Turkey international Orkun Kokcu excel under his leadership at Feyenoord, the Liverpool head coach is reportedly now trying to bring him to Anfield.

Arne Slot pushing for Orkun Kokcu transfer

Kokcu was heavily linked with Liverpool while still playing for Slot at Feyenoord.

Having lifted the Eredivisie title as captain of the club in 2023, the 23-year-old looked ready for a move to one of Europe’s elite.

Instead, Kokcu slightly surprisingly joined Benfica. Since then, the attacking midfielder has carried on the good form he showed at Feyenoord.

Kokcu had a rocky start after first moving to Portugal but is now a key player and has four goals and three assists in nine appearances this season.

READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano clarifies Martin Zubimendi’s situation for January after further transfer links

According to Record, this form has impressed Liverpool. The Reds scouts are said to have been present to watch Kokcu score during Benfica’s eye-catching 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid on October the 2nd.

Predictably, Slot is claimed to be the main driver behind the interest, with Kokcu’s former head coach reportedly a big admirer of the midfielder’s qualities.

With the Reds reportedly making Kokcu a target for the January transfer window, Benfica are said to be ready to accept a fee of around £67m to let their No.10 go.

Orkun Kokcu could be one to watch for Liverpool

Kokcu had seemed like a logical target for Liverpool during their midfield rebuild of 2023. The Turk was clearly ready to move on from Feyenoord and has qualities that obviously appealed to the Reds.

Fast forward 18 months to January 2025, though, and a transfer to Anfield arguably makes even more sense.

While most supporters would argue that Liverpool need a new holding midfielder to add further depth to the squad, perhaps Slot sees Dominik Szoboszlai as being that man already at his disposal.

Szoboszlai has been playing as a more advanced midfielder this season, but the Liverpool head coach has already demanded more goal contributions from the Hungarian.

As a result, it could be that Slot ultimately decides to move Szoboszlai back and bring in a player who he has already utilised in that role instead. The fee would looks prohibitive and it would be a big jump for Kokcu, but we really think this could be one to watch.