Having inherited a talented Liverpool squad from Jurgen Klopp, Arne Slot is gearing his squad up for a successful term across four fronts. The Carabao Cup was clinched and stability was restored, but there are some pressing concerns for FSG to consider over the next month.
Liverpool and Fulham are the only Premier League clubs yet to complete signings this summer, with the latter in talks to sign Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal in a £35m deal.
There is a superabundance of talent within Anfield's senior squad but there is also an acceptance that Arsenal and Manchester City were more polished and controlling across the full scope of the 2023/24 campaign. With a tweak in the system, it would seem crucial for one or two impactful additions to be brought in.
James Pearce recently revealed that the Reds have rejected a €14m (£12m) bid from Marseille for midfielder Wataru Endo, there's a suggestion that FSG could seek to welcome a new specialist No. 6, one of a higher ball-playing calibre.
But the middle of the park is not the only area in need of attention, with Liverpool considering a bid for an exciting attacking talent too…
Liverpool transfer news
According to Sport BILD, Hoffenheim forward Maximilian Beier is on Liverpool's list as the transfer window continues to move forward. Fresh off a tremendous breakthrough season, the 21-year-old would bring pace and finishing to Slot's frontline.
A host of Premier League outfits including Chelsea and Manchester United are also keen, but with the player's €32.5m (about £27m) release clause having now expired, Beier's Bundesliga club are free to dictate negotiations as they see fit.
The report claims that Juventus are pushing for the Germany international as rumours around Dusan Vlahovic's future continue to rumble, and so Liverpool will probably need to accelerate their interest if they are to prevail in the race.
What Max Beier would bring to Liverpool
Having passed his second-tier test in 2022/23 with flying colours, Beier returned to Hoffenheim in Germany's top flight and completed a terrific goalscoring campaign, helping his team to a seventh-place Europa League-qualifying spot.
1.
Harry Kane
32
2,843'
36
2.
Serhou Guirassy
28
2,214'
28
3.
Luis Openda
34
2,716'
24
4.
Deniz Undav
30
2,097'
18
5.
Maximilian Beier
33
2,435'
16
His haul of 16 goals from 33 Bundesliga matches – 29 starts – marked a triumphant campaign indeed, especially since he had spent the previous two years cutting his teeth on loan with Hannover 96 in the 2. Bundesliga, scoring ten times in total.
Principally a No. 9, Beier's mobility and snappy movements allow him to play across the frontline, but his clinical finishing suggests that he would be the best place in that central spot at Liverpool, especially as he has only missed 11 big chances in the league last term.
To put that in perspective, Darwin Nunez missed 27 big chances in the Premier League despite only bagging 11 goals. Mohamed Salah, one of Liverpool's greatest-ever finishers? He posted 18 strikes, missing 17 big chances.
Speaking of Salah, Beier could strike quite the partnership with the Egyptian phenomenon. Liverpool's main man up top is likely entering the final year of his iconic Liverpool career but could finish with quite the resounding bang if Beier is welcomed to the fold.
Imagine Max Beier & Mohamed Salah
Salah finished the 2023/24 campaign on a middling run of form but still scored 25 goals and added 14 assists across all competitions, hailed at one stage as "the best player in the Premier League" by Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
Everybody knows of Salah's incredible goalscoring feats but he's also one of Europe's elite playmakers, with his chance creation in the Premier League pointing toward prosperity for the blooming marksman Beier.
1.
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
22
2.
Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City
21
2.
Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United
21
4.
Heung-min Son
Tottenham Hotspur
20
5.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool
17
5.
Cole Palmer
Manchester City/Chelsea
17
5.
Dwight McNeil
Everton
17
5.
Martin Odegaard
Arsenal
17
Beier's "exceptional" quality in front of goal – as claimed by journalist Antonio Mango, would be in good nick at Anfield. Hoffenheim ranked eighth in the Bundesliga or shot-creating actions per 90 last season (23.9), as per FBref.
Liverpool, conversely, created the most big chances in the 2023/24 Premier League season, with 102. Beier, still only 21 remember, would benefit greatly from being welcomed to such a robust and rich crop of talent.
It would be a dream for a young striker to come into a team that is regularly creating high-quality chances, as he would not be starved of service in a struggling side.
He would, moreover, succeed in repaying the favour, with Salah obviously being one of the Premier League's finest strikers, thus benefitting from Beier's creative, multi-skilled style of play. After all, he's “much more than just a goalscorer”, as put by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Liverpool have a healthy mix of offensive quality, but the aforementioned Nunez is hardly the most reliable striker in front of goal, Diogo Jota is unreliable on the fitness front, and Cody Gakpo, off the back of a tremendous Euro 2024 campaign with the Netherlands, ebbing and flowing since joining the Reds from PSV Eindhoven for £35m in January 2023.
Salah might've turned 32 this summer but he's still one of Europe's deadliest players, with his consistency across seven seasons on Merseyside proving his elite-level quality and then some.
He will benefit from a talent in Beier who is showing all the signs of growing into a complete centre-forward, with sharp shooting skills and dynamic movements across the final third.
Perhaps Salah doesn't quite have the legs that he once had, but Beier would join an attacking group bearing loads of electric pace.
The final piece of the puzzle? Liverpool petered out at the end of last season, spoiling Klopp's swansong somewhat, and while it was a successful, resurgent season for the club after the wretched 2022/23 term, now Slot must seek to raise the bar once more.
Beier could be a brilliant addition, and if he is available for a fee in the ballpark of £27m, it's a bit of a no-brainer as a signing to help make Salah unplayable next season.
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ByAngus Sinclair Jul 26, 2024