OPINION
Liverpool and Manchester City looks set to be the next great rivalry in the Premier League, and it will likely continue in the boardroom as well as on the pitch.
That certainly seems to be the case with the clubs’ twin pursuit of Trabzonspor wonderkid Abdulkadir Omur. The Daily Mirror reported on Saturday that the Reds are in pole position to land the 19-year-old ahead of their fierce title rivals.
The Mirror’s report states that Omur is regarded as Turkish football’s best young talent, and Liverpool beating City to the midfielder would be a crushing blow for the reigning champions.
City’s recent success under Pep Guardiola has come at a bit of a price, with arguably England’s most exciting youngster Jadon Sancho leaving the club for Borussia Dortmund and Brahim Diaz set to follow suit, according to the BBC.
If another of the world’s next generation of elite talents slips through their grasp it will be devastating for City – and that’s exactly what Liverpool want.
The fee being bandied about for Omur is £27million, a player who is considered to be a long term replacement for Adam Lallana at Anfield. A tricky, technically gifted footballer, the teenager would surely flourish alongside the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum, Xherdan Shaqiri and Roberto Firmino.
Klopp has reportedly been tracking Omur since he first broke into the Trabzonspor team last season, and is hopeful of getting his man this January.
Doing so would be doubly sweet for the German, dealing, as it would, a significant blow to the champions as well as strengthening his own team in both the short and long term.
If City continue to haemorrhage their own talent, as well as losing out on potential stars, then Liverpool’s edge over the Citizens will continue to grow.
Signing Omur would merely be the next step towards that for the Reds. It’s imperative that they don’t cede their advantage here. Beating City to the youngster would be a huge statement of intent.
