Report: Liverpool preparing £55m raid for ‘natural leader’ who ‘sees things that other people don’t’ | OneFootball

Liverpool could reportedly make one LaLiga star his country’s most expensive player of all time in the near future.

According to Japanese outlet Sponichi Annex, the Reds are preparing an offer in the region of €65m (£55m) for Takefusa Kubo, and they’re believed to be willing to pay €15m (£12.6m) per year in wages to the Real Sociedad winger.

If a deal goes through for the amounts specified, it’d be the largest transfer fee ever paid for a player from Japan, and also the biggest salary for anyone from the east Asian country.

The 23-year-old is described in the report as ‘one of Liverpool’s biggest targets this summer’, having apparently been shortlisted as a possible long-term successor to Mo Salah for the past several months.

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PFA chief executive Maheta Malongo, who was president of Real Mallorca when Kubo played for them previously, once described Kubo as the ‘Japanese Messi’, saying: “He sees things that other people don’t see, the ability to see a pass and pick a long ball…He’s a natural leader and he’s comfortable with the pressure. He has the ingredients to one day be a superstar.” [Daily Mail]

The Japan forward never broke through at Real Madrid but has restored his reputation over the past two years with Sociedad, although a return rate of 16 goals and 14 assists in 85 appearances for his current club isn’t astounding for an attacking player (Transfermarkt).

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By comparison, Liverpool right winger Salah netted 25 times and set up 14 goals in 44 games last season alone (Transfermarkt), a consistency which leaves the 23-year-old eating his dust.

Even Johan Bakayoko, who’s also been linked with the Reds and plays on the same flank, managed 14 goals and assists each in 48 matches in 2023/24 (Transfermarkt), again a far better G/A return per game than Kubo.

Until such time that reliable sources closer to home corroborate these reports, we wouldn’t be inclined to read too much into the sudden links with the Sociedad forward, even with compatriot Wataru Endo already at Anfield.

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