Liverpool‘s frontline might appear to be the one area of Jurgen Klopp‘s squad that does not require attention, but there are murmurings that change could be afoot.
Over the past few years, the Reds have prioritised the bolstering of the attacking ranks to combat sales of stars such as Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, but this has come at the expense of defensive and midfield recruitment.
After falling flat last year, Klopp and co restored the engine room and are now in pursuit of prominence once again, and while the rearguard is considered the priority zone in the transfer market, recent rumours have suggested that Liverpool are interested in signing Leroy Sane from Bayern Munich.
According to the Mirror, Sane has put a halt on negotiations to renew his contract with the German Bundesliga champions, claiming that he wants to “concentrate on the season.”
This comes at a time when Liverpool are eyeing up a possible swoop, with German outlet BILD stating that Die Roten would entertain the 27-year-old’s sale but have slapped a €100m (£87m) price tag on his name as a deterrent.
The report from the Mirror reveals that Liverpool are indeed monitoring the Germany international’s situation, with his former club Manchester City also attentive.
Leroy Sane’s style of play
Sane is a player Liverpool will be all too aware of after years of fierce battling while plying his trade for Pep Guardiola’s City; from just five Premier League matches against the Reds, he has scored four goals.
Notably winning two league titles and the FA Cup in England, Sane completed a £55m transfer to Bayern in 2020 and has since developed his brilliant raw attributes and refined them to perfection.
The £337k-per-week star is technically astounding and intelligent with his movement, distribution and progression, and he would be the perfect addition to this Liverpool team, should the need for another attacker arise.
This season, Sane has scored nine goals and supplied seven assists across 18 matches in all competitions, proving to be an integral component of Bayern’s frightening frontline
Incredibly, the 59-cap international is averaging 3.5 key passes per game in the Bundesliga this term – as per Sofascore – despite also investing his focus into his goalscoring feats, plundering eight strikes from 11 games.
Described as a “world-class” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Sane ranks among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 7% for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for progressive passes and the top 3% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
While Liverpool boast a range of excellent forwards, recent news suggests that Barcelona are interested in signing Luis Diaz, with the Colombian understood to consider a move to Camp Nou as his “dream.”
Diaz was signed from Porto for an initial £37m in January 2022 and has won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup at the outfit, completing 61 matches, scoring 15 goals and providing nine assists.
Ranking among the top 16% of positional peers for goals and the top 14% for successful take-ons per 90, Diaz has been hailed for his “world-class” talents (like Sane) and is comfortably one of the finest wingers in the Premier League.
Should Barcelona decide to further their interest in the 26-year-old, then Sane would be the perfect replacement – perhaps even an upgrade.
