Liverpool have some calls to make as far as their attack is concerned.
With the veteran Mo Salah in the final year of his contract, questions surround the Reds dressing room regarding their goal-scoring potential going forward.
However, one of their recent targets looks ready to make a move.
Liverpool-linked Jean-Philippe Mateta demanding huge contract bump to stay at Crystal Palace
As reported by Caught Offside, Jean-Philippe Mateta is asking for as much as £90k per week to remain at Crystal Palace.
The Frenchman, linked to Liverpool in recent days, was in red-hot form for the Eagles towards the back end of last season as he finished with 19 goals and five assists from 39 appearances across all competitions, on the back of which he was selected by Thierry Henry for France’s Paris Olympics squad, where again he shone during the side’s silver-medal run.
The 27-year-old is now in his fourth season at the club, and despite Palace’s surprisingly bad start to the season he has managed five goals and an assist in 13 appearances.
Mateta’s current Palace contract, running until June 2026, fetches him £50k per week. He is valued by Transfermarkt at €20 million.
Mateta could be a bargain for Liverpool
Darwin Núñez performs at his best when the pressure of being the goal-scorer in chief is not on him. Diogo Jota is an exceptional player but injuries keep bringing him down, and Mo Salah’s future is up in the air.
Liverpool are in need of a goal-scorer, and in the interim, while they also need answers for elsewhere on the pitch, particularly in midfield, they could turn to someone like Mateta in the mid-to-long term. A £90k-per-week salary package is almost in the bargain territory for a club like Liverpool, and even if Palace manage to resuscitate their season in the coming weeks, the late-blooming aspect of his career makes Mateta a player there for the taking both in January and next summer.
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Liverpool’s primary focus in the coming transfer windows should be further back, towards the defence, and someone like Mateta could help alleviate their worries up front.
