Liverpool have opened talks to sign £39m wonderkid

12 months ago, Liverpool were in party mode. The Premier League title had been wrapped up by now. Arne Slot had already taken his trip to Ibiza and deserved to celebrate his debut success.

Nobody believed that his hangover would then last an entire year, however.

The Reds have gone from champions of England to a side threatening to overthrow their manager and pledge allegiance to an Egyptian King instead.

Something has to change this summer, starting with the addition of fresh faces.

Liverpool open talks to sign £39m winger

As Mohamed Salah prepares to vacate his throne now that he has addressed the nation one last time, Liverpool must commence the impossible task of finding his replacement.

No matter the disputes, even Slot will admit that attempting to find the next Salah will be a pointless task.

There simply isn’t another version of the Reds legend out there. Instead, those at Anfield will have to hope that Alexander Isak does enough to take the role of talisman, whilst they reshape what it means to be a Liverpool winger.

And once they have their new formula, it looks as though one man will be in their crosshairs. According to TEAMTalk, Liverpool have opened talks to sign Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim this summer.

The German club are set to demand around €45m (£39m), which would make Toure their record sale.

Based on last summer’s spending, that would be no issue for Liverpool and they’re clearly fans of the winger, having officially registered their interest.

Dubbed “one of the fastest players in Europe” and as a player who’s “a little bit of a young Sadio Mane” by Liverpool journalist I think Bocsakit’s easy to see why the Reds have Toure on their radar, but his arrival would only stand in the way of Rio Ngumoha’s development.

Why Toure’s arrival would be bad news for Ngumoha

Ngumoha is the king in waiting as far as Liverpool supporters are concerned. With Salah leaving, he represents the most suitable option left to fill the golden boots left behind. Anfield chiefs may have a different idea in mind, however.

Their pursuit of Toure can only be bad news for the teenage star, who may see himself pipped to the post in the crowning ceremony this summer.

The 20-year-old is certainly impressive, but it’s not a battle that Liverpool should ignite. Why break Hoffenheim’s record sale for a quick, tricky winger when Ngumoha has already proved to be exactly that?

It’s tough to compare goal output per game when Toure has so many more minutes under his belt, but what can be assessed is take-on success.

The threat that Ngumoha provides in that department is unrivalled in the Liverpool squad and certainly can’t be matched by Toure. What stands out is that the 17-year-old attempts so many take-ons per game with such high success. He doesn’t achieve that success by being safe on the ball, he does so because he is so clinical in possession.

Toure, by comparison and with more minutes to base it on, tends to be less direct and is less successful when he does attempt to go one-on-one. On paper, if Liverpool are looking for a unique outlet, Ngumoha is their man.

It’s why it would be bad news for Slot if Liverpool went out and welcomed Toure this summer. It would hand the Dutchman another needless headache when his tenure is already so weak.

The boos around Anfield when Ngumoha was replaced against Chelsea should be a clear enough sign of where the winger stands.

The Reds have been incredibly predictable going forward all season long. So much so that even they’re often out of ideas. Ngumoha is the exception to that, however.

He is a unique outlet who can produce something out of nothing and signing Toure would not only end his run in the side, but also stand in the way of his clear development path.