Liverpool are now understood to be preparing to ‘make an attempt’ for Mohammed Kudus’ services this summer.
The West Ham forward has been identified by the club as a potentially ideal Mo Salah successor, according to Steve Kay at Football Transfers.
The Ghanian does have a release clause of £85m that kicks in next year. In the meantime, however, the Reds are prepared to test the waters with a bid below that figure.
It’s been an impressive first Premier League campaign from the 23-year-old following his switch from the Eredivisie in 2022. 25 goal contributions were registered in 48 games, across all competitions.
Kudus’ versatility is highly attractive
Is there anything Liverpool’s recruitment team loves more than positional versatility?
Well… apart from a signing fitting its ideal age profile – which Kudus does at the tender age of 23. Still, it’s worth pointing out that the footballer can play across both wings, has experience playing as a central striker for Ajax and can ply his trade as an attacking midfielder.
Having registered the exact same numbers in his final season at Ajax (25 goal contributions), his ability is evidently scalable to the demands of English top-flight football.
Even playing in a less offensively coordinated side compared to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
What could, we wonder, Kudus accomplish under the tutelage of new boss Arne Slot?
The report in question goes on to suggest the Hammers ‘could be willing to lower their price for the Ghanaian international’ as a direct result of the betting controversy surrounding teammate Lucas Paqueta.
It’s reasonably theorised that West Ham are likely to miss out on a significant bid from Manchester City for the Brazilian’s services.
As a result, they may be forced to consider alternative avenues of revenue-making in the transfer market.