Better than Gakpo: Liverpool have been in talks to sign £130m “superstar”

What is most concerning is that Liverpool actually created in abundance against Burnley at the weekend. Their xG total of 2.9 was their highest of the campaign. Still, Arne Slot‘s side flattered to deceive, laboured to a fourth successive draw in the Premier League.

With five wins from their past 17 league matches, the Reds cannot insert themselves into title-chasing conversations in the top flight. Liverpool are in the top four, but barely.

It is concerning that Liverpool have struggled to create this season, and it is more concerning still that they are unable to make it count when they do in fact string enough together to get the job done.

There are fundamental problems within Slot’s system, and too long have the Anfield side failed to produce show-stopping performances with anything resembling regularity. FSG are beginning to sense that they may need to get their purses out once again.

Liverpool in talks to sign elite forward

Mohamed Salah‘s return from the African Cup of Nations cannot come soon enough, but Salah’s future is uncertain, and he is 34 at the end of the season anyway.

While Florian Wirtz is coming into his own, Liverpool’s imbalanced and, at times, ineffective attacking play has led to demands for another out-and-out winger. Cody Gakpo, for example, has struggled for form on the left wing.

Selling Diaz and then not replacing him was always going to be a risk. The Colombian’s pace and energy and directness have been missed.

But FSG are prepared to right the wrongs, with TEAMtalk revealing some exciting news regarding Real Madrid sensation Vincius Junior.

It’s been claimed that intermediaries are in contact with Liverpool – as well as Chelsea and Manchester City – concerning the Brazilian’s potential transfer in 2026.

Vinicius Jr., 25, is one of the best forwards in the world, and he’s valued at £130m. Hefty sum, that, but with Vini out of contract in 18 months, Liverpool officials will no doubt feel they can strike a bargain.

What Vinicius Junior would bring to Liverpool

Vinicius Junior has been a mainstay for Real Madrid since joining from Brazilian club Flamengo in 2018. He was 18 years old and billed as one of the biggest talents in world football.

The £347k-per-week attacker has only gone from strength to strength since arriving, and now he is up there with the best of the best. For Liverpool, they would land an elite, hungry star with an irresistible playing style and natural potency in the final third.

Of course, it’s not been Vini Jr’s finest hour in Spain, and he’s set to leave the club this year, before free agency, after a breakdown in key relationships at the club.

Typically found on the left wing, the South American would contest with Gakpo for a starring role in Slot’s set-up, and after many incredible years for the La Liga giants, it feels certain that he should win that battle.

Gakpo is a clinical striker, but he’s also profligate. This contradiction stems from a large volume of his strikes coming from afar. The Dutchman’s trademark cut-inside-and-shoot has become a familiar sight at Anfield, and all too often it falls flat, usually at the expense of a better choice nearby, Milos Kerkez overlapping or Wirtz working his way into space.

Real Madrid’s Brazilian “superstar”, as he has been dubbed in the past by former teammate Luka Modric, is hardly riding the crest of a wave himself, but it’s interesting to see that he’s still outperforming Gakpo when at his lowest ebb in a Los Blancos shirt, more combative and active across different phases of play.

As per data-driven platform FBref, Vinicius Jr. ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and the top 1% for progressive carries per 90. Some baseline, that, and a marker of the player’s talent.

This is in stark contrast to Gakpo’s own success. He ranks among the bottom 29% of Premier League wingers this season for carries into the penalty area per 90. For a player who is relatively active in dribbling forward, this simply isn’t good enough, underlining his wasteful, scattergun shooting from distances.

Liverpool are in a fight for top four, and even if they succeed in this objective, it cannot be viewed as a triumph after £450m of investment last summer.

But this is the reality that Slot and co are facing. They have to get it right this year, and in Vinicius Jr., a game-changing forward would arrive to lift Liverpool back to the forefront.

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