Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi has penned a new long-term deal with the Merseyside club amidst speculation linking him with a move to Barcelona this summer. According to recent reports, the Reds centre-forward has agreed on a new deal with the club which will extend his stay at Anfield for the foreseeable future. It is believed that Jurgen Klopp’s side has been able to fend off strong interest from the Catalans and a few other clubs to convince the Nigerian youngster to sign a new and improved deal at Merseyside.
Awoniyi joined the Reds youth ranks in the summer of 2015 after being spotted in London while playing in a Coca-Cola sponsored football competition. Some sources are now claiming that the Merseyside outfit believes in the youngster’s ability which is why they have tied him up on a five-year deal. It is expected the Nigerian prospect would be loaned out once again due to work-permit criteria. He has still not made a single appearance for Liverpool so far for the same reason.
Taiwo has earned 6 international caps for his nation at the Under-23 level and has previously had loan spells with FSV Frankfurt, NEC Nijmegen and Mouscron, where he had scored 10 goals and created 7 assists last season. The Nigerian now looks set for another two-year loan spell at AS Monaco.
In a recent interview, Awoniyi weighed in on his situation earlier this year and was quoted to have said, “For me, my main concern is to keep working hard for Mouscron,”
“With the national team, the administrators and the coaches know the quality we have, and they know about me. There are a lot of Nigerian players in Belgium for them to watch, and hopefully I can catch their eye.”
The Merseyside outfit managed to finish 4th in the English top tier last season. However, Jurgen Klopp needs to improve his squad this summer if they are to compete for major silverware in the upcoming campaign.
Retaining some of their top young talents like Awoniyi could go a long way in helping Klopp build for a bigger and brighter future at Anfield. For now, the Nigerian needs to put his head down and work hard during his loan spell in France so that when the opportunity arrives to make his mark at Merseyside, he could be ready to take on the challenge of representing the Reds week in week out.
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It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of Awoniyi and whether he ends up being a success at Anfield in a few years time.
