Liverpool reportedly have an advantage to beat Manchester United in the race to sign SL Benfica star Orkun Kokcu, as per Caught Offside.
After ranking through Feyenoord’s youth system, the 24-year-old established himself as a key player for his boyhood club. He even helped his side win the Eredivisie title in the 2022/23 campaign under Arne Slot.
The Turkish international joined the Portuguese giants a couple of years ago and has been displaying productive performances. After making 18 goal contributions in all competitions in his debut campaign at Estadio da Luz, he scored 12 goals and registered nine assists last season.
Moreover, he provided two assists in four Club World Cup fixtures before being knocked out by Chelsea in the last-16 stage. He also helped his side lift the Taca da Liga last term.
Now, Caught Offside claim that having been impressed by Kokcu, Man Utd, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Inter Milan have all expressed their interest in signing him.
Moreover, Turkish giants like Galatasaray, Besiktas, and Fenerbahce are also plotting a swoop for him but the player isn’t considering returning to his homeland yet. Instead, his presence is to play in the Premier League. Benfica are open to cashing-in on their star man should they receive an offer of around £34m.
Battle
Having already worked and enjoyed success together at De Kuip, Kokcu and Slot are open to reuniting. So, the player’s first choice destination is Anfield, meaning the Reds hold an advantage over Man Utd and Tottenham in this race.
Kokcu is a deep-lying playmaker but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role. After displaying impressive performances in club football, the midfielder has established himself as an integral part of the Turkiye national team.
Liverpool were willing to purchase a defensive midfielder last summer but failed to do that, and haven’t focused on reinforcing this position yet in this window.
They currently have Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister for this role, while Curtis Jones played as a backup to the Dutchman and the Argentinian last term.
Wataru Endo is another option but struggled to find regular game time last season. So, it was thought that he would leave this summer but hasn’t been linked with a move away from the club yet.
On the other hand, Man Utd want a long-term successor to Casemiro and are open to letting the Brazilian leave. But it is looking likely that he may stay next season and leave for free in 2026.
Kokcu is a talented player and could be a shrewd acquisition for Liverpool or Man Utd should either club eventually manage to secure his service.
