Liverpool learn asking price for red-hot attacker who seems destined for ‘bigger club’ – report
Liverpool will likely need to fork out a substantial sum for one player who’s reportedly of interest at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s attacking options have been depleted by injuries to Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa, while Mo Salah is just over two months away from being available for other clubs to approach about a pre-contract transfer next summer, with his future on Merseyside remaining far from assured.
In that context, it comes as no surprise that the Reds may be in the market for forwards as the January market draws ever closer, with rumours of interest in Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres also doing the rounds.
Liverpool would need to pay £50m+ for Mbeumo
According to Alex Crook for talkSPORT, Liverpool are among several Premier League clubs paying close attention to Bryan Mbeumo after a blistering start to the season for Brentford, with his eight-goal tally in the top flight placing him second only to Erling Haaland.
In light of the Cameroon international’s red-hot form, the Bees have now placed a £50m price tag on his services in a firm message to prospective suitors that they’ll need to spend big if they’re to prise him from the Gtech Community Stadium.
The 25-year-old’s current contract runs to June 2026, although he has a one-year option that the west London outfit could activate in an attempt to either keep him for longer or raise his transfer value even further.
Would £50m for Mbeumo be a wise investment for Liverpool?
It speaks to Mbeumo’s phenomenal form of late that his manager Thomas Frank recently said that he’s ‘convinced’ the Cameroon ‘will play for a bigger club’ at some point in the future, an apparent acknowledgement that Brentford could find it difficult not to cash in on him eventually.
His brace in the 4-3 thriller against Ipswich last weekend took him to eight goals for the season, the same tally as Salah across all competitions, but the Bees attacker has scored his octet in 236 fewer minutes on the pitch (Transfermarkt).
By the time the market reopens in January, Liverpool will likely have a clear picture as to whether or not the Egyptian will still be at Anfield in 12 months’ time. If it looks probable that he’ll depart, they may be forced into recruiting a high-quality replacement, particularly if Chiesa’s injury woes show no sign of abating.
It doesn’t take a genius to see why Brentford are demanding £50m+ for Mbeumo given his current run of form, with only one more goal needed to match his best tally for a Premier League campaign, although Richard Hughes will be stringently evaluating whether such an outlay would represent long-term value for the Reds.
The Cameroonian would have a tremendously difficult act to follow if Salah were to leave, but LFC could do a lot worse than him if they decide to enter the market for a successor to our number 11.
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