Nicolas Jackson might be a more realistic candidate for Liverpool if he wasn’t at Chelsea, Richard Hughes likes him | OneFootball

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes is keen to sign a top-class striker for the club.

Senegal international striker Nicolas Jackson would be realistic candidate if he were not a Chelsea player, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

Hughes admires the former Villarreal star having wanted him when he was the technical director at Bournemouth, but bringing him to Liverpool is tricky and other options are being considered.

Chelsea reportedly want £100 million for Jackson, and the Reds would be unwilling to do business for such a fee.

They have communicated their interest to Newcastle United to do a deal in the region of £120m for Alexander Isak, but they do not want to sell him.

Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike is also an option for the Merseyside club as they are desperate to bolster their attacking ranks.

More players are expected to emerge as Liverpool look to strengthen their striking options for their Premier League title defence next season.

The Reds need a prolific goalscorer as their main striker if they want to boost their chances of winning the Champions League, and Isak would have been perfect for them.

He has bagged 52 goals and eight assists in the last 24 months across all competitions, but even £150m may not be enough to tempt Newcastle into doing business, and Ekitike could be a more realistic option.

The 23-year-old Frenchman notched 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 games last term, and he could prove to be a solid signing for Liverpool given his huge potential.