Liverpool hold talks to sign £60m star

It won’t be long until the World Cup is over and Liverpool are engaged in pre-season with Andoni Iraola, who has been tasked by FSG to take the club back to the top of the Premier League.

The Reds have fallen behind the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City, but with Arne Slot now dismissed from his post, FSG believe they have appointed a coach with the capacity to instil a sharp and front-footed playing style.

But will it secure the league title for Liverpool? That really is the million-dollar question, with fans hungry for success after slumping to a fifth-place finish last year, empty-handed.

If Liverpool want to climb back onto their perch, they will need more signings.

Liverpool hold meeting for World Cup superstar

Liverpool have already kicked things off this summer, signing Victor Munoz from Osasuna after activating his £34.5m release clause. FSG hijacked Newcastle United’s move there.

Of course, Liverpool also signed Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes back in January. The £60m centre-back is young and raw, but his arrival will help to combat the departure of Ibrahima Konate, who has penned a deal with Real Madrid following the expiry of his Reds contract.

These are clever signings and they could pay off down the line, but Iraola can ill-afford a slow and lumbering start to his Liverpool tenure, so the decision-makers are aware that they need to make a statement.

This is why the likes of Yan Diomande and Bradley are the focus of sporting director Richard Hughes’ attention. A formal offer for Diomande has already been knocked back, while Paris Saint-Germain’s flashy winger has been the centre of internal discussions.

There’s a lot to sort out down Anfield Road this summer, and we haven’t even addressed the pressing need for midfield reinforcements, with the future uncertain for both Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool chiefs have held a meeting to determine whether to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from LOSC Lille this summer. The Moroccan midfielder is thriving at the World Cup, fast becoming one of the most in-demand prospects in Europe.

Arsenal are also believed to be at the front of the queue for the 18-year-old, but Liverpool have something of an urgency about them this summer, and if someone like Mac Allister departs, it could open the door for the young midfielder to establish himself under Iraola’s wing.

In full, Romano said: “For Bouaddi I think it is going to be quite busy. They would ideally want around £60m but if Bouaddi keeps playing well maybe they could ask for bigger money. Premier League clubs are interested. There were meetings before the World Cup with Liverpool and Arsenal. PSG are always very attentive to the best talents in the game too.”

Why Bouaddi can be a superstar for Liverpool

Liverpool are targeting some exciting names this summer, but Bouaddi might just be the pick of the bunch, hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson for his “elite-level” technicality and physicality in midfield.

He raised his stock with a first-class performance against Brazil during Morocco’s World Cup opener, but Bouaddi has been performing with top consistency for a while now, instrumental for Lille in Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

Whether Liverpool get this one over the line remains to be seen, but there can be no doubting the stylistic suitability here. Not only his Bouaddi a flawless technician, belying his youth in that, he is also physical and mature beyond his years, with everything pointing toward successful integration into the Premier League with Liverpool.

Could the Moroccan prove to be an even better signing than Diomande? He just might. Liverpool need a right-sided forward, but it’s almost as if the midfield holes have been forgotten by journalists and observers. The flurry of news concerning forwards does outline Liverpool’s immediate priority, but Bouaddi could end up establishing himself as the signing of the summer, re-energising the midfield and then carrying that resurgent form out into attacking areas.

After all, he’s already levels above Mac Allister, whose drop-off has been stark.

It’s difficult to determine who exactly is the bigger talent here, but we can see that both Diomande and Bouaddi would mark upgrades on the likes of Mac Allister and Salah.

However, the severity of Liverpool’s midfield drop-off last season could call for Bouaddi’s signature as the more important for the Anfield persuasion this summer.

Diomande, only 19, is the talk of the town, but he only scored 13 goals and supplied eight assists in the Bundesliga last season. Across two World Cup appearances, he has yet to notch a direct involvement for Ivory Coast, albeit impressing in both fixtures.

The point is that replacing a player of Salah’s magnitude is not going to be easy. Liverpool felt the ill-effects of his typical attacking threat across 2025/26.

Bouaddi has all that he needs to establish himself as an instant Mac Allister upgrade, and in that, he could trump Diomande and become Iraola’s central talisman.