Bigger deal than Nunez: Liverpool could launch move for 100m Gakpo upgrade

With Liverpool’s pre-season tour in the United States about to commence, the dawn of the Arne Slot era is starting to feel very real indeed.

In just over three weeks, Liverpool will travel to Portman Road to kick off the 2024/25 Premier League season against newly-promoted Ipswich Town, and one of the most pertinent questions lingering right now is whether the Reds will have completed a signing.

Along with Fulham, Liverpool are one of only two top-flight outfits that have yet to welcome a fresh face to their senior squad, with sporting director Richard Hughes revealing that the Merseysiders’ transfer window is building up to an August “crescendo” that could be realised once Slot has his full first team at his disposal and can accurately determine where to bring in a fresh face.

Liverpool are well stocked across the park but will make a move if an enticing opportunity presents itself in the weeks to come. While there’s radio silence at the moment, one journalist believes that FSG could yet move to a top target from earlier in the window.

Liverpool transfer news

As per TEAMtalk, Liverpool will need to pay a jaw-dropping fee of £100m to sign Anthony Gordon this summer, with Newcastle United believed to be confident that they will retain the England international’s services.

Still, one month ago, when the Magpies were stricken by PSR concerns, they offered the one-time Reds academy member to FSG as they desperately fought to balance the books, and there are fears that the boyhood Liverpool fan’s head has been turned.

However, Liverpool correspondent David Lynch has recently claimed that the deal is not dead, saying: “On Anthony Gordon, I think that’s one that has a real chance of being revived maybe later in the window.”

Of course, £100m claims mean that signing the Newcastle man would come with a larger figure than that paid for club-record signing Darwin Nunez, who signed from Benfica in a deal rising to £85m two years ago, but Gordon’s trajectory points toward it being worth the stress.

Anthony Gordon’s 23/24 season in numbers

When the 2022/23 Premier League season reached its conclusion, Gordon probably hadn’t done enough to convince Newcastle supporters that he was worth the £45m figure that had been paid to Everton for his services five months earlier.

Across 16 outings for the Toon, he failed to bring it all together and only opened his account on the final day of term, scoring in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, and the seeds of success were there, simply unharnessed. One year on and England supporters across the country are calling for Gordon to be a starring figure in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad after a tremendous campaign that saw him crowned United’s Player of the Year.

Eddie Howe’s outfit were plagued by injuries after previously qualifying for the Champions League, meaning that they will be limited to domestic action next year – might that play into Liverpool’s hands? – but Gordon shone throughout.

Across all competitions, the 23-year-old scored 12 goals and added 11 assists as his pace and potency down the left flank overwhelmed opponents and formed a deadly partnership with Alexander Isak, who is shaping into one of Europe’s best effective centre-forwards.

If Lynch is to be believed, the Merseysiders might just make an official approach to sign Gordon later down the line, with FSG bosses already suggesting that August will be the time to do business at Anfield.

The Reds are well stocked but are always seeking ways to improve, and Gordon might even prove to be an upgrade on the in-form Cody Gakpo.

Why Anthony Gordon could be a Cody Gakpo upgrade

Gakpo was one of the standout performers at this summer’s European Championship and, after his strong finish to the 2023/24 campaign with Liverpool, will be determined to rise in prominence under Slot’s tutelage.

He bagged five goals and three assists over the final three months of the top-flight term despite only receiving seven starts, and thus will be eager to play a big part this year, competent out wide and up front.

But Gordon, an out-and-out winger, is a “menace” of a player – as said by journalist Antonio Mango – with electric speed and fear-inducing motions. As you will see below, he outperformed his Dutch counterpart across almost every metric in the Premier League last year.

Gakpo might be the naturally better finisher but Gordon’s pace and playmaking quality allows him to wreak havoc from a wide range of avenues – moreover, he’s crisper in possession and more active in the duel.

There is a good claim that Gakpo, who was pigeonholed in a number of positions under Jurgen Klopp last year, would raise his game considerably under a coach such as Slot who would assign him a singular purpose, enhancing performance, enriching fluency.

But praised for his “fearless” presence on the pitch by Tyneside icon Alan Shearer, Gordon would bring the whole gamut to Slot’s door, and he truly could prove to be a masterful addition to a talented squad. Luis Diaz also exists, a key member of the team, but Gordon, should he carry his form into the new campaign, could prove to trump the lot.

Therefore, Liverpool would only score a major win by bringing Gordon back to his home city. While suggestions of a £100m figure would likely dissuade FSG from acting, the summer market may yet see a number of changes that could leave Liverpool free to make their move.

Gordon, as Lynch puts it, would jump at the chance to join the club.