Transfer News: Liverpool receive good news in their pursuit for RB Salzburg striker Karim Adeyemi
According to Ruhr Nachrichten (h/t Liverpool Echo), Liverpool have been handed a potential boost in their pursuit of German teenager, Karim Adeyemi.
The Reds have expressed their interest in Adeyemi for a long time, but Borussia Dortmund were considered to be leading the race for the signature of the highly-rated prospect. However, the German club’s financial situation means they may not have the money to pull off this transfer.
Salzburg are asking for a fee of around £35m to sell Adeyemi. While the German giants may be able to pull off this transfer if they sell Erling Haaland this summer, the fact that the Austrian club wants the money right now to finalise the deal makes it impossible for Dortmund.
20-year-old Adeyemi has been making waves in both the Austrian Bundesliga and the Champions League this season. With 19 goals and 4 assists in just 33 games this season, the German wonderkid is making Europe sit up and take notice of him.
The München-born forward predominantly plays as a striker, although he is capable of doing a decent job on either wing. Adeyemi is fast, skilful, athletic, has good positional awareness and an even better eye for goal.
He has been handed his International cap by Hansi Flick and has already scored his first goal. At 20, Adeyemi’s potential is truly frightening and it is very easy to see why the crème de la crème of Europe are fighting for his signature.
Do the Reds need a striker?
Liverpool have a well-stocked forward line, with Roberto Firmino, Divock Origi and Diogo Jota as striker options, with even Sadio Mane playing there recently. While the Portuguese can also play as a winger, his best performances in a Reds shirt have come while playing as a centre-forward.
Origi is a merely rotational option for Klopp, and his future at Anfield is far from certain. Firmino has been on the decline for quite some time now and his productivity is no longer what it used to be.
That leaves Jota as the only reliable option in the long-term sense. The 25-year-old Portuguese forward has settled in extremely well into the team and has even taken over the starting berth from Firmino.
In Adeyemi, Liverpool will be getting a very different player to Jota, a different kind of striker and it adds to the variety. For someone of the German’s potential, £35m if he comes goodwill does not feel like a huge sum after all.
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However, the 20-year-old striker, if he moves to England, will have to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League and it remains to be seen if he can put in similar performances in one of the best leagues in the world.
