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Liverpool hold talks to sign their best LW since Mane
Liverpool have not been at their best this season, but Arne Slot will be relieved to have seen signs of progress throughout December, having climbed to fifth in the Premier League and crafted a six-game unbeaten streak.
However, the champions have recovered only the vestiges of their imperious form of last season, so confident and coherent as they stormed through the season and ended Manchester City’s dominance.
Sweeping summer transfer changes have left something to be desired, and it’s clear that Liverpool have joined the jam-packed race for Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo.
Liverpool looking at Semenyo alternative
Liverpool want Semenyo, but he is not the only talented winger on the market. Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Liverpool opened talks with the Ghanaian’s representatives last month, though have since cooled their interest.
But that could now change, with Alexander Isak ruled out for several months after fracturing his fibula against Tottenham last weekend. Moreover, uncertainty lingers over Mohamed Salah and his Anfield future.
But with both Manchester giants thought to be leading the race at this stage, Liverpool always needed to earmark alternatives, and they’ve found one who boasts even more talent than the Cherries star.
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have been in talks with the agent of Real Madrid icon Vinicius Junior, who has refused a contract extension at Santiago Bernabeu and is ready to leave next summer, before the final term of his £400k-per-week deal.
Chelsea and Manchester City are also keen, so sporting director Richard Hughes will need to put his negotiating skills to the test as he looks to complete a marquee signing to complete Liverpool’s frontline.
He won’t come cheap, however, with one report suggesting he’s worth a whopping £131m. That would make him the most expensive player ever in the British game.
Why Vinicius Junior would be Liverpool’s best left winger since Mane
Vini’s soon-to-expire contract also means he might be available for a cut-price £80m fee, which isn’t too far above Semenyo’s valuation, with his £65m release clause active for the first ten days of the January transfer window.
Hailed as a “superstar” of a forward by former Los Blancos teammate Luka Modric, Vinicius Jr is a rare forward, endowed with strength and speed and an aura in the final third that translates to trophies and significant goal hauls.
He has only scored five goals in La Liga this season – supplying eight assists besides – but notched 41 goal contributions in all competitions last year, when he was on his A-game and feeling the love in the Spanish capital.
And even with the Brazil international finding himself out of form, he still ranks among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for progressive carries and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
He would add directness and danger to Slot’s Liverpool ranks, and his positional dynamism could even see the 25-year-old take the mantle as Liverpool’s new version of Sadio Mane, who was as sharp as a blade for the Reds, principally a left winger but with skills that translated across the frontline.
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Vinicius Jr – Career Stats by Position |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Apps |
Goals + Assists |
|
Left wing |
303 |
90 + 79 |
|
Centre-forward |
64 |
29 + 16 |
|
Right wing |
15 |
3 + 2 |
|
Attacking midfield |
2 |
2 + 1 |
|
Data via Transfermarkt |
||
Mane scored 120 goals across 269 Liverpool appearances, and he won the full gamut. Like Vini Jr, he boasted a wide repertoire of skills and he was excellent on the grand stage. Both widemen have starred and scored in Champions League finals.
Luis Diaz is missed on Merseyside this season, having been sold to Bayern Munich in August, but Mane was a grade above, and he would be born again in the form of not Semenyo, but Vini.
Fleet-footed and invariably sharp in the final third, Mane was a crowd-pleaser, and his personality on the field helped endear him to the Anfield crowds. Vinicius Jr, you would think, would do the same.
Mane was a unique winger, deadly in front of goal and fiery and combative too. Vinicius Jr shares some interesting attributes with Jurgen Klopp’s old superstar, and he would be the perfect talent to improve Liverpool’s ranks in 2026.
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