Whilst Liverpool are yet to make their first signing of the summer, recent reports suggest that the Reds could now come to life in the transfer market to sign a player who's quicker than Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool chase Zubimendi and new winger
The plan at Liverpool always seemed to centre around allowing new boss Arne Slot to assess his new squad before any decisions are made on the transfer front, making the delay after Euro 2024 and the Copa America little surprise.
Liverpool now pushing hardest to sign "fantastic" £30m+ goalkeeper
The Reds look to be in pole position among Premier League clubs.
ByHenry Jackson
Now that the Reds' USA tour is concluded and the Dutchman has seen the potential of his side, Slot will now look to welcome fresh faces. David Ornstein certainly added fuel to the fire, reporting that Liverpool are looking to sign a new defensive midfielder earlier this week, and the name attached to that position has now emerged as Martin Zubimendi.
The Real Sociedad midfielder has a €60million (£51.7m) release clause in his contract, and the Reds would need to pay a large chunk of that number up front, but it certainly looks like FSG, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes have launched into action.
Not stopping there, according to Steve Kay via KS1 TV, Liverpool are also eyeing a move to sign David Neres from Benfica this summer. The winger has emerged as a target following the Reds' failure to sign Anthony Gordon.
The Newcastle United winger has been the subject of their interest, as the Magpies looked to comply with PSR rules, but a deal has so far failed to materialise. A boyhood Liverpool fan, Gordon saw his dream move almost instantly shatter.
Neres is hardly a poor alternative, however, with the numbers showing that he is quicker than Salah, which is some achievement given the Egyptian's reputation as one of the fastest players in the Premier League.
"Fantastic" Neres found form at Benfica
After struggling to find form at Ajax, Neres left in search of exactly that, before finding it at Benfica last season. The Brazilian winger deserves credit for working his way back into the spotlight and back in the headlines of clubs such as Liverpool.
Now 27 years old, Neres, on £67,000-a-week in Portugal, should be at the top of his game, making his future all the more interesting. That said, after being described as a "fantastic signing" for Benfica by Zach Lowy, it remains to be seen if the Portuguese club would be willing to sell the winger.
He scored five goals and assisted a further 10 in all competitions last season, and could be on his way back to the top of European football sooner rather than later. With Salah-like pace to boast too, Anfield may yet turn into a shock destination before the end of the summer.
