Liverpool have seen a £6m bid for Japan and LASK forward Keito Nakamura rejected, according to a fresh rumour regarding the Reds’ potential transfer business.
It has been a busy summer transfer window at Anfield to date, with some incomings arriving to bolster the squad, but plenty of outgoings also heading the other way.
Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have come in as vibrant midfield additions, but Jordan Henderson’s exit has now been confirmed, along with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s. Fabinho could also be set to follow.
While the middle of the park has clearly been the most pressing area of Jurgen Klopp’s squad to sort, a left-sided centre-back is also needed to provide competition for places, and it could even be that a new forward comes in, too.
According to Foot Mercato, Liverpool have made a move for Nakamura, but have seen their opening £6m bid turned down by Austrian side LASK. A season-long loan move back in Austria is part of the deal, but it has been rejected.
The 22-year-old has scored 26 goals in 68 appearances for his current club, proving to be a regular source of end product, and he has also registered nine assists in that time.
At international level, Nakamura has netted once in his two caps to date, although given his age, both of those numbers will surely rise over the years.
Out thoughts on Liverpool’s interest in Nakamura…
Nakamura is clearly a talented young footballer with a bright future in the game, but now would feel like a strange time for Liverpool to sign him, given the depth at Klopp’s disposal in attack.
Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo arguably feel like the favourites to be the Reds’ go-to front-three currently, but Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez also represent great options.
Keeping five top-quality attackers happy is difficult enough for Klopp – teenager Ben Doak is a player who could also get minutes next season – so fitting Nakamura in as well would be so tough, in terms of keeping him content and promising him regular playing time.
It could be that next summer is a better time to snap up the LASK ace for even less than £6m – his current deal expires in 2025, so his side may be willing to sell in 2024, in order to still receive some money for his signature – at a point when one of the five aforementioned Liverpool attackers could potentially move on.
