Liverpool exploring move to sign £130m star

It feels like Liverpool have a gazillion problems to sort out ahead of the new Premier League campaign, with Mohamed Salah still not replaced and Andoni Iraola’s backline looking rather threadbare.

With Virgil van Dijk still on leave after his participation at the World Cup, it’s’ become painfully clear at the start of pre-season that Iraola has a paucity of defensive quality to call upon – and that has been aggravated by the injury Joe Gomez picked up during a 4-2 win over Sunderland at the weekend.

REUTERS/Manon Cruz

But for all the noise around central defence, it is drowned out by the desire, the need, for a new elite forward to replace Salah, who left Anfield once and for all when his contract expired at the end of June.

The likes of Yan Diomande and Bradley Barcola have emerged as top targets to replace the Egyptian this summer, but the former is headed for Real Madrid, while Barcola’s £145m price tag may prove prohibitive.

The big problems facing Liverpool’s frontline

Salah’s decline last season was a central reason behind Liverpool’s fall-off under Arne Slot. That giddy first year beyond Jurgen Klopp’s exit, Slot’s Liverpool dazzled and danced toward the Premier League title, and Salah was the architect, many levels ahead of his competition.

But the 34-year-old lost something last year, and Liverpool were unable to step up and provide as their long-time talisman slumped. Victor Munoz has already been signed this summer for £34.5m, but the former Osasuna winger is young and still learning the craft. More is needed.

With Hugo Ekitike sidelined until the midpoint of the campaign, Liverpool need more in attack. Alexander Isak should step up after a tough first term on Merseyside, but Liverpool are paper-thin on the right.

Diomande, 19, would have been perfect, but the RB Leipzig winger chose Paris Saint-Germain over the Reds, and now appears to have changed his mind once again, with Real Madrid closing in on his signature.

FSG have taken it on the chin and now focus their attention on wantaway PSG winger Diomande, but the French giants are in no hurry to sell, even if he has rejected a contract extension.

Barcola, 23, is one of the most exciting wingers in the world, hailed as “the closest thing to Salah” on the market right now by Anfield Index’s Dave Hendrick, but he is not the cream of the crop just yet, and a British-record fee would be exorbitant.

But Liverpool are prepared to break the bank this summer. They have to, and if there is money to spend, FSG may want to turn their attention to another rising superstar.

Liverpool exploring move to sign Barcola-Diomande hybrid

Barcola would be a fantastic addition to Iraola’s Liverpool squad, but he’s not a natural right winger, and he could cost too much money. Liverpool might be inclined to turn their head in another direction.

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who have revealed that Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has been exploring a move for Bournemouth winger Rayan, who joined the club from Vasco da Gama in Brazil for £25m in January.

Rayan, 19, is emerging as quite the prospect, and the south coasters know it, having included a whopping £130m release clause in his contract. That obviously won’t do, so FSG will hope that Hughes and Iraola’s connection with the vitality could do some heavy lifting over the next few weeks.

Diomande is off the cards. A two-sided winger, he’s played plenty of football on the right and would have been perfect for Iraola’s Liverpool system in that regard. But Liverpool have moved on, and Barcola’s signature is now at the top of the list.

We must not jump the gun, though, and if PSG fail to budge on their £145m price tag, it is quite simple: Barcola will not play for Liverpool next year.

Likewise, it’s unlikely that the Reds would fork out a record-breaking sum for Rayan, but Bournemouth could lower their demands if Rayan makes a bit of noise. Since signing for the Cherries, he has scored five goals and provided two assists across 15 games, but the quality of his play has been exceptional.

What a talent. Rayan hasn’t played in Europe for that long, but he has undoubtedly grown into his skin as an elite prospect in the short time spent on English shores.

For what it’s worth, Rayan probably outperformed Barcola at the World Cup, showcasing immense potential on the ball and when creating for his teammates. He was one of Brazil’s brightest sparks.

Could Liverpool feasibly sign both Barcola and Rayan this summer? Perhaps not. There’s a chance, of course, with both Isak and Ekitike joining last summer, but given the strengthening needed elsewhere, it might be a tricky one to pull off.

If it comes down to one of the two, Rayan might actually be the better pick. His stock isn’t as high, to be sure, but he is emerging as an uncontainable right winger, already considered “world-class” by Bournemouth teammates such as James Tavernier.

Rayan is one of the most talented young attackers in the game. He has Premier League experience, and unlike Barcola, naturally plays off the right wing.

The data pool might be shallow, but he has impressed for club and country over the past six months, and might just have what it takes to replace Salah under Iraola’s wing.