With a third-placed finish already in the bag, Liverpool will now be planning how to make the next step.
After such a difficult season last year, the Reds mounted a decent title challenge this term. The squad is in good shape.
Jurgen Klopp leaving obviously puts a dent in that, but Liverpool will be confident that with one or two smart additions in the transfer market, Arne Slot can have them up there again next season.
One thing that can probably do with improving upon is Liverpool’s forward line. Their group of attackers have been overly wasteful for far too long. Thankfully, that’s reportedly something the Reds are looking to strengthen.
A player who could fit the bill in that regard is West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus. And with rumours circulating that Kudus is likely to be on Liverpool’s radar, journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided an interesting update.
Kudus was said to be a player that Liverpool were tracking ahead of last year’s summer window. Then at Ajax, he eventually joined West Ham instead.
The Reds were blasted by former Hammers midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker for letting the Ghanaian slip away, and that proved to be a fair shout.
Although he hasn’t scored in his last nine, Kudus has still managed 13 goals this season. In Liverpool terms, that’s the same as Luis Diaz.
Four years younger than Diaz though, Kudus is just making his way in England. He’s even been tipped to become better than Mohamed Salah.
With all of that in mind, you can imagine that West Ham would be looking for a pretty hefty transfer fee to let him go. And speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano admits that that would be the case, although does also confirm the presence of a release clause in Kudus’ contract.
“I think it has to be a really crazy proposal because West Ham, at the moment, are not commenting about this release clause,” explained the reporter. “Sources guarantee that a release clause is included in his contract, but it is not guaranteed to start this summer. It’s still a tricky situation.”
How much would Mohammed Kudus cost
As we’ve seen plenty of times in the past, Liverpool do like a good release clause. Both Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister were signed on that basis last year.
Nevertheless, if the clause is too high, then the Reds just won’t go near it.
Romano doesn’t offer any clues as to what Liverpool could be looking at if they choose to trigger Kudus’ set price. However, Ghanaian journalist Ibrahim Sannie Daara claimed on Sunday that the figure is £85m. At that price, there’s simply no way Liverpool do business.
Of course, they could still negotiate with West Ham, but with the release clause set, the Hammers are unlikely to settle for much less.
Having signed Kudus for around £38m, they’ll want a good return on that regardless. Consequently, we’re not sure Liverpool will get involved here.
