Liverpool hoping to prise £25m gem from Mourinho’s clutches; he had ITV pundit raving at Euro 2024
Liverpool are reportedly hoping to raid Jose Mourinho’s current club for one player who made a big impression at Euro 2024.
According to Calciomercato, the Reds are interested in Fenerbahce defender Ferdi Kadioglu, who’s also being sought by Manchester United, Newcastle and Juventus, with the latter proposing a swap deal involving Weston McKennie.
The Istanbul outfit value the Turkiye left-back at €30m (£25m).
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That certainly appears to be a reasonable price to pay for Kadioglu after his fine performances for his nation at Euro 2024, which had ITV pundit and co-commentator Lee Dixon describing him as ‘an absolute star’.
The 24-year-old won 18 tackles in Turkiye’s five matches at the tournament, twice as many as the next-best player in that regard, along with making the joint-most interceptions (seven) and fifth-most clearances (10) of anyone in Vincenzo Montella’s squad (WhoScored).
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Taking his performances over the past 12 months, he ranks among the best players in his position in Europe for his use of the ball, featuring among the top 1% for progressive passes (8.83) and carries (5.19) per 90 minutes, and the top 2% for successful take-ons (2.08) per game (FBref).
Kadioglu certainly has impressive credentials, but he could still have a challenge on his hands to nudge Andy Robertson out of Liverpool’s starting XI on a regular basis, as Kostas Tsimiaks knows all too well from his four years at Anfield so far.
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Should the Reds succeed in prising the 24-year-old from Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, it could leave the LFC hierarchy with a big decision to make regarding the Greek Scouser, who’s already been linked with a potential exit this summer (Football Insider).
It’s a conundrum which is best left to Richard Hughes and Arne Slot to figure out.
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