Liverpool set to hold talks over signing £55m star

When Liverpool won the 2019/20 Premier League, ending thirty years of much-jeered hurt, the celebrations were muted somewhat by the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

There were no such impediments on Sunday, with Liverpool blowing Tottenham Hotspur away to seal the top-flight title and send a city into an elated frenzy that, for many, has been a lifetime in the making.

It was a truly incredible occasion, Arne Slot coolly leading his team through the 2024/25 campaign and back toward the perch from which Liverpool last sat under Jurgen Klopp, five years ago.

Few saw it coming, but Liverpool have capitalised on Manchester City’s staggering drop-off and Arsenal’s inconsistency to steer toward their 20th title, levelling with Manchester United.

Mohamed Salah has been the on-field architect, scoring 28 goals and supplying 18 assists in the league alone this year. The individual accolades will abound when all is said and done.

However, he’s not been alone in his brilliance. Luis Diaz has certainly earned his flowers after an immense campaign.

Luis Diaz has stepped up for Liverpool

Diaz, 28, hasn’t always been the flavour of the month at Anfield, with fans sometimes frustrated by the Colombian’s inconsistency in front of goal.

However, he’s been in fine fettle this year, posting 16 goals and eight assists across all competitions, including eight direct involvements across his past ten Premier League outings.

Though Diaz’s stock is high and there is justification within the argument that Liverpool should cash in this summer, he’s been a source of selflessness and quality all year, especially in recent weeks.

With Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa all in danger of being sold, Diaz and Salah should form a core part of Slot’s system once again.

They are brilliant forwards of varying strengths. Slot loves both of them. So much, it seems, that Liverpool are interested in signing a player who is an amalgamation of the two.

Liverpool ready to bid for new forward

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are in the race for Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, who is expected to leave the Serie A club this summer.

Barcelona appear to have the lead in the race, having made contact with the Nigerian’s representatives, but given that his market price stands at €65m (£55m), Liverpool may see a chance to steal ahead of the financially-troubled Spaniards.

The 27-year-old also has suitors in Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United, however, with all five interested clubs said to be ‘planning’ to hold talks ahead of a summer move.

Why Ademola Lookman could be perfect for Slot

An alleged breakdown in relationship with Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has left Lookman determined to leave the club this summer.

Last year’s hat-trick hero in the Europa League final, to be sure, has the dynamic skills that a club such as Liverpool are looking for this summer, developing a sharp goalscoring edge over the past few years to complement his athletic underlying skill set.

Hailed as a “superstar” by journalist Sean Walsh after his staggering triumph over hitherto invincible Bayer Leverkusen, Lookman is the giant-killer, the resurgent sensation who has bounced back from a tough start to life in the Premier League, never quite hitting his stride with Everton, Fulham and Leicester City.

Across the past two campaigns for the Nerazzurri, Lookman has scored 35 goals and supplied 17 assists across all competitions. His multi-facetedness suggests he would be a perfect fit in Slot’s Liverpool squad.

As per FBref, Lookman ranks among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 2% for touches in the attacking penalty area

His combination of fleet-footedness and clinical shooting has led the data-driven site to record Salah and Diaz as two of his most comparable players, which only strengthens the argument for FSG to make their move.

Diaz might not have Salah’s predatory instinct in front of goal, but his pace, power and ability to shift between the flank and a makeshift centre-forward position have been essential this term.

Lookman is cut from a similar cloth, but one which also contains Salah’s prolificness.

Though many supporters would hope for an out-and-out number nine this summer, Lookman’s dynamism has already been proven to work within Slot’s system through the efforts of Salah and Diaz.

Moreover, his title-winning hat-trick bespeaks a propensity for the big stage, further evidence that Lookman’s electric movements and deadly outlook have been refined to a point which could see him return to the Premier League as a bona fide success.

Lookman has developed a potent quality in the danger area while bringing an intense kind of energy to the fold. It’s not out of the question, given his positional versatility, that Slot would get his hands on a hybrid version of Salah and Diaz, one who could prove the difference-maker in winning multiple major honours next year and beyond.