Liverpool ‘shortlist’ Arsenal star as they target ‘priority area’
Liverpool have shortlisted Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka as they look to reduce the age of their front three, according to reports.
The England international has contributed five goals and four assists in the Premier League this season and has become one of the Gunners’ most important player at the age of 20.
There have been rumours for a while that Liverpool are looking to bring some youth into their attack with Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane all around 30.
Mane and Salah cop it in the wake of an ‘appalling’ Liverpool display
And presenter Ian McGarry has revealed on The Transfer Window podcast that Saka is one player who Liverpool are considering in a “priority area”.
McGarry said: “Liverpool are looking to the future with regards to the fact that they expect to sell at least two of their attacking players. Saka is someone who suits Liverpool’s style. Obviously he’s dynamic in terms of the way that he converts chances and also someone who can play in different positions as well.
Speaking to journalist Duncan Castles, he asked: “Would you see him as a good fit for Liverpool?”
To which Castles responded: “You can see why he’s been included in that shortlist of potential additions. As we heard a while ago, this is a priority area for Liverpool to recruit in. They’re ready to do something in the January window if the right opportunity presents itselfv and I think it’s clear the quality of player they want this coming month – but more likely this is going to be a deal for the summer.
“We’ve talked in detail about Liverpool having a strategy of turning over their squad. You’ve got Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane all entering into their thirties. All at a level of performance, during the time they’ve been at Liverpool, where they thought they could get big transfer fees for them.
“The original strategy would’ve been to try and get 200m euros or more for one of Mane or Salah and replace. That’s kind of been taken away from them by the way the market has changed because of Covid and with clubs like Paris Saint-Germain focusing on free agents and Real Madrid saving their money Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.”
On Saka, Castles added: “The contract situation is that it runs until 2024, it’s a contract he signed in 2020. He’s not at the top level of payments in the Premier League because of his age and because that contract he signed in 2020 was the first major professional contract of his career.
“So from that perspective, not as expensive as some other players would be. I think the difficulty is, as always, is extracting a player from another Premier League side. What they can offer Saka is to be truly competitive at the top of the division, to be fighting for the Premier League title and to be fighting for the Champions League trophy.
“But I think with that three years left on his contract, they [Liverpool] will have to wait a little bit longer before they can get to the stage where they can get the fee at a reasonable level from Arsenal. Arsenal will not want to sell a player of Saka’s status and potential.”
