Liverpool readying first offer for £84m-rated Serie A starlet after impressing Anfield scouts | OneFootball

Liverpool could be about to make their opening move for one of the brightest young talents in Serie A.

Towards the tail end of 2023, when Jorg Schmadtke was the Reds’ sporting director, he reportedly made a recommendation to Jurgen Klopp to consider signing Juventus prodigy Kenan Yildiz, who first caught the former’s eye when progressing through the youth ranks at Bayern Munich.

Fifteen months later, the Turkey international is still with the Bianconeri, but having signed Federico Chiesa from the Allianz Stadium last year, LFC appear to have their eyes on luring another forward from the Turin club.

Liverpool plotting Kenan Yildiz transfer offer

According to Juve FC, Liverpool recently sent scouts to watch the 19-year-old in action for Thiago Motta’s side and liked what they saw of him against Cagliari and Verona.

The reports on Yildiz were glowingly positive to the extent that the Reds are now preparing an opening offer of roughly €60m (£50.4m) for the Juventus starlet.

However, that’d cut no ice with Bianconeri sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, who it’s claimed wouldn’t even come to the negotiating table for bids of less than €100m (£84m).

(Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

Would Liverpool really spend that much on Yildiz this summer?

Yildiz doesn’t turn 20 until May but has already played 73 times for Juventus’ first team and won 17 senior caps for Turkey, who he helped to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.

He’s primarily a left winger but, similar to Chiesa, can play anywhere across the forward line. Such versatility will likely endear him to Arne Slot, and despite not scoring against either Cagliari or Verona, he underlined his superb physical presence by winning 15 duels across those two games.

The 19-year-old has been affectionately dubbed the ‘Turkish Del Piero’, and the Bianconeri legend has been effusive in his praise of the youngster’s performances at the Allianz Stadium (Turkiye Today).

However, one legitimate question mark over Yildiz – and perhaps the most crucial one for a forward – is his output in front of goal. He’s netted just six times in 41 appearances this season (most of those as a starter) and has scored only once in Serie A in the past four months (Transfermarkt).

Also, as per FBref, his underlying performance metrics in comparison to other wingers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year aren’t terrifically impressive (aside from ranking in the top 9% for his rate of tackles won per 90 minutes).

All things considered, it’s hard to see Liverpool spending £80m on a forward who simply doesn’t score enough, especially when they already have Cody Gakpo excelling on the left flank, but perhaps the club’s scouts saw something in particular about him which’d convince Arne Slot that he’s worth pursuing.