Slot insists he ‘can recover’ Chelsea star as Liverpool plan ‘bombshell signing’ from PL rivals

Liverpool boss Arne Slot is reportedly determined to sign Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku this summer as he looks to retain the Premier League title.

After winning the Premier League title with four games to spare on Sunday, Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes can now turn their attention to new signings and plans for the summer transfer window.

Liverpool have made a new centre-forward one of their priorities in the transfer market with Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, EIntracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko now believed to be their main targets.

However, Isak, who would be their ideal option, is likely to cost upwards of £150m if the Magpies are to agree to a sale in the summer transfer window.

That means other targets are likely and now Spanish website Fichajes insists that Liverpool are looking to make a ‘bombshell signing’ with Chelsea ‘going all out to get this player out of their club’.

That is former RB Leipzig forward Nkunku with the France international having a miserable time at Stamford Bridge, making just 11 Premier League starts in his two seasons at Chelsea.

Liverpool are said to be ‘closely monitoring the French striker’s situation with a view to adding him to their project’ after his ‘loss of prominence has opened the door to a possible exit’ from Chelsea.

Reds boss Slot ‘believes he can recover’ the form Nkunku showed at Leipzig, which convinced Liverpool to shell out £52m in the summer of 2023.

It is claimed that ‘initial talks’ are ‘underway between the parties, although no offer has been formalised yet’ while Reds ‘interest appears strong and could intensify in the coming weeks’.

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Another player who has been linked with a move away from Anfield in the summer is Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott – but Slot played down rumours of a summer move on Friday.

Speaking in a pre-match press conference, Slot of Elliott: “I think first of all it’s very important that players who are here with us like to stay. That’s a big compliment to everyone working here. Harvey is one of the players that hasn’t had as much playing time as he maybe deserves.

“But like some others he is in competition with so many good players that mainly [I] have chosen other players. Also, partly because he was injured for a long time, and I’ve been honest with him.

“The first part after he came back from his injury, he wasn’t the same as he was before his injury. But the last few months he’s back to his old level again but there was no need for me to start with different players.

“I think if you look at the amount of minutes he had in the last one or two months and the time before you can see it goes up already. That tells you that we like – I like – him more now than I did when he came back from his injury in the first month.”