Liverpool could sign "brilliant" £35m Firmino clone
As the January transfer window looms, the turning rumour mill is starting to gather speed, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp likely to be keeping a keen eye on potential openings.
His side have enjoyed an excellent resurgence after falling by the wayside last year, currently topping the Premier League table after 16 matches – having fixed the broken midfield with four exciting summer additions.
But work is needed across different departments, especially with success on the cards across multiple fronts, and the German manager appears to have identified a teenage talent who could augment the flourishing formative fold.
Liverpool transfer targets – Kenan Yildiz
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato – via Sport Witness – Liverpool are interested in 18-year-old Juventus attacker Kenan Yildiz, having been recommended the Turkish talent by sporting director Jorg Schmadtke.
Given Juventus' well-documented financial struggles, Yildiz's sale could be granted if the Serie A side's €30-40m (£26-34m) valuation is met, with sources in the country believing that the Merseyside outfit boast the financial means to achieve such a deal.
With the Old Lady striving to recuperate funds ahead of spending and settling books in 2024, Yildiz's sale looks to be a real possibility, something Klopp's team could take advantage of.
How Kenan Yildiz compares to Bobby Firmino
Hailed for his "simply brilliant" form in Turin by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Yildiz has not quite cemented a spot in Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus first-team. However, he has chalked up five senior appearances.
All coming in the Serie A this season, the three-cap Turkey international – who scored on his first start against Germany – is evidently a talented player and is noted for his lightning speed and deft dribbling ability by Kulig, with an added emphasis on his remarkable creativity.
Typically fielded as a centre-forward, Yildiz is also competent across both flanks and could bring a sense of dynamism that would really improve Liverpool's squad, joining the likes of Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak and Harvey Elliott as stars touted for illustrious futures.
Having plundered 17 goals and eight assists from 52 outings for Juventus' youth outfits, the fleet-footed starlet could bring a unique set of skills to the Anfield side, perhaps even boasting the quality to serve as Roberto Firmino's successor, with the legendary Brazilian departing the club on a free transfer in June after 362 appearances, 111 goals and 79 assists.
Firmino has long been regarded as one of the silkiest and most artful forwards in the Premier League, the fulcrum of Liverpool's devastating and iconic attacking triumvirate alongside Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
In a quirky analogy, Klopp once proclaimed that "football is an orchestra", with Firmino, who he called the "complete" player, being the rhythm.
Yildiz offers a similar kind of versatility and creativity, meaning he could be the perfect addition to succeed the 32-year-old, who has forever etched his name into Anfield's lore after elegantly charging immense offensive success and proving to be almost irreplaceable in his craft.
While Juventus have a gem on their hands, circumstances mean that Liverpool could succeed in pulling off a deal, and must now do so to continue the resurgence and ensure a glittering foundation is paved at the base of Klopp's rekindled team.
