Liverpool have been keeping tabs Takumi Minamino since 2013, according to James Pearce.
It is understood that the Japanese forward will join the Reds in January, assuming he passes a medical at Anfield, as per reliable journalist Paul Joyce, with the news breaking after he impressed against Jurgen Klopp’s men for RB Salzburg in midweek.
But Pearce has claimed that there has been interest for much longer than that.
Writing in a piece for The Athletic, he said: “The 5ft 8in attacker has been on Liverpool’s radar since he was crowned J-League Rookie of the Year back home in 2013.
“They continued to gather data on him after Salzburg snapped him up for a fee of around £750,000 in January 2015.”
OPINION
This is a ridiculous reveal from Pearce. It won’t catch too many headlines, and in the grand scheme of things, it’s a minor detail, but for the Reds to have been scouting Minamino for the best part of seven years shows that the club are at the peak of their powers with regards to their recruitment policy. At the moment, it looks as if they are well set to reap the rewards of that hard work too. Taking Minamino as an example, so far this season he has averaged two key passes, 1.5 successful dribbles, and 2.8 shots per game in the Champions League alone, as per Whoscored. Factor in two goals and three assists in six games, and he looks as if he has potential to burn. Provided the deal does go through, and it feels more likely than not at this stage, then don’t be surprised to see him really kick on under the guidance of the most exciting side in world football right now.
