Liverpool fans everywhere have been counting down the days until the Reds are in action again, as they take on Cardiff on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp’s backroom staff were active in the final days of the transfer window, signing Luis Diaz from Porto and loaning out Nat Phillips and Neco Williams.
Securing the signature of Fabio Carvalho will be a priority when the summer transfer window opens on July 1st, but it is the potential summer signing of a Premier League star that has attracted attention this week. ESPN senior writer Mark Ogden has suggested Liverpool may make a move for Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka should the Gunners fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we asked Goal.com’s Neil Jones whether he thought the England international could be heading to the North West in 2022.
Neil said:
“Liverpool like him. I think that goes back to when he was in the youth team at Arsenal. He’s a brilliant player. That first leg he played at Anfield [EFL Cup semi-final] was some performance. He really impressed a lot of people, a lot of Liverpool fans, I’m sure, that night. If he’s out of contract at Arsenal then, of course, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, every club in Europe will be looking at it.
They [Arsenal] really do need to get into the Champions League this summer. If they did, they would make a big push to bring in a few players that could take them to the next level. If they don’t do that, it suddenly becomes a bit of a Harry Kane situation – ‘he’s one of our own’, but how long is he going to sit and scratch around the Europa Conference League? Not dissimilar to Raheem Sterling at Liverpool.”
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Saka is one of the best young English talents around, so it would be unusual for him not to be on the radar of the Liverpool scouting team.
Neil rightly draws a parallel to the situation Raheem Sterling found himself in at Liverpool. If Saka believes he is one of the league’s best and wants to test himself at Champions League level, a move away from the Emirates to a title challenger could be the way forward for the young England star.
Arsenal face stiff competition from Spurs, West Ham and Manchester United to finish in the top four. If they fail to do so and Saka has only 12 months left on his contract, they may be forced into a position where selling is the most prudent financial option.
Let us not forget that Saka recently received one of Jurgen’s post-match warm embraces – that should be enough to make any footballer start searching for a house in Formby! If he did somehow end up at Anfield, Liverpool fans would be absolutely thrilled!
