With the summer transfer window set to open in two months’ time, the Liverpool hierarchy appear to be had at work with getting the ball rolling on potential recruitment.
The Reds’ interest in Milos Kerkez and Alexander Isak has been well-documented, while a litany of other names have also been mentioned as prospective targets, with varying degrees of probability as to how seriously those will be approached.
The aforementioned Bournemouth and Newcastle players aren’t the only Premier League stars of firm interest to Richard Hughes and FSG, judging by a fresh report.
Liverpool preparing Joao Gomes transfer offer
According to CaughtOffside, Liverpool are set to take action in their pursuit of Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes, even though he’s just after signing a new five-year contract at Molineux.
Merseyside chiefs feel that it’d still be worth testing the Midlanders’ resolve with an offer in the region of £40m for the 24-year-old, with a prospective bid currently being discussed internally in the Anfield boardroom.
The Brazilian’s new deal is believed to not have a release clause, although there remains a possibility that the Old Gold hierarchy could cash in on him if they receive a sufficiently lucrative proposal from elsewhere.
Would Wolves sell Gomes to Liverpool for £40m?
Gomes has followed his Wolves teammate Matheus Cunha in signing a new deal at Molineux, but there’s a school of thought that it’s a measure to protect his value before cashing in on him, rather than strictly tying him down on a long-term basis.
The midfielder has previously declared that Liverpool are ‘a team I would play for’, and although Wolves now look all but certain to preserve their Premier League status, it’s not unthinkable that he could be seeking a step up to a club challenging for major silverware and competing in the Champions League.
The 24-year-old has been hailed as a ‘monster‘ by Old Gold teammate Andre Trindade (who was linked with the Reds for several months in 2023), and he helped his side to a 1-0 win over West Ham on Tuesday night by winning five duels and making three interceptions and three tackles (Sofascore).
Gomes excels for the latter metric, ranking among the top 3% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year with 3.66 per 90 minutes, although his other underlying attributes range from decent to below average (FBref).
Also, having added the security of a long-term contract for the midfielder, Wolves now have the luxury of being able to charge a premium for him in the knowledge that he won’t become a free agent until 2030.
That fact won’t be lost on Hughes if, as reported, he’s in the process of compiling a £40m bid for the Brazilian. Whether it’d be enough to prevent a swift rebuttal from Molineux is another matter.
