Liverpool is already the best team in the Premier League but this summer, sporting director Richard Hughes will look to further improve the Reds’ roster in the transfer market.
“I’ve said many times already that we, as a club, are very happy with the players we’ve got,” Arne Slot said on Friday. “But there’s always an ongoing process, and we have to make sure that we are prepared if we can strengthen.”
Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the latest transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds. We start with a Liverpool-linked No. 10 who has confirmed that he will be leaving his current club.
Rayan Cherki (Lyon)
Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki has confirmed that he will leave the Ligue 1 side this summer amid speculation that Liverpool could be an option for him. The 21-year-old has had another strong campaign.
Cherki has scored 12 goals and provided 20 assists in all competitions this season. He starred in the Europa League for Lyon but couldn’t stop it from crashing out against Manchester United.
Liverpool has looked at Florian Wirtz, who plays a similar role to Cherki. But while the Bayer Leverkusen ace could cost more than $160 million (£120 million), the Lyon man would be available for around $25 million (£19 million).
Liverpool.com says: Cherki does look like a real talent but the question is whether he is a real game-changer. Wirtz would be, but is Cherki that much better than Harvey Elliott? For the bargain price, he might be worth a gamble, but it is not an immediate priority.
Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth)
Liverpool fans on social media have taken note of the latest activity from Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez. The Hungarian is thought to be an option for the Reds as they look to strengthen during the summer transfer window.
Transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano took to Instagram yesterday to post about Jeremie Frimpong’s move to Anfield edging closer. And at the end of that update, there was also a line about Kerkez being an option for Liverpool, and that post has been liked by Kerkez’s official account.
The 21-year-old has 733k followers on the social media platform. The post was also liked by young Liverpool center-back Amara Nallo, who has made a couple of senior appearances under Slot this summer.
Liverpool.com says: Andy Robertson is now 31 and a long-term succession plan feels sensible to prioritize this summer. Kerkez would be a good option, even though $60 million (£45 million) would be quite a lot to spend on a full-back.
