Liverpool, the runaway Premier League leaders are waiting anxiously for football to resume and conquer the coveted crown for the first time in their history. But the COVID-19 outbreak has suspended the game indefinitely which, as a result, is delaying the transfer plans amid all the uncertainties.
The Reds had a couple of quiet windows despite winning the prestigious Champions League a year ago. Jurgen Klopp’s juggernaut delivered a stellar show to gain a 25-point lead over second-placed Manchester City in the league standings but, at the same time, got eliminated from Europe a couple of days before the lockdown.
The necessity of strengthening has been discussed time and again, and according to the Italian outlet CittaCeleste, Liverpool are eyeing a summer swoop for Lazio’s Joaquín Correa to add more depth, quality and cover in the attacking third.
Why The Argentine Would Be An Exciting Addition
The 25-year-old Albiceleste international joined the Biancocelesti back in 2018 for a fee in the region of €16m from Sevilla. He soon settled in Rome and flourished under Simone Inzaghi to become a key contributor high up the pitch. Correa has fired in eight goals and laid on four assists in 28 outings altogether (stats via Transfermarket) so far this season. He is, therefore, attracting Liverpool’s interest in adding more strength down the left-hand side of the Reds’ lethal frontline.
Sadio Mane, meanwhile, has been exceptional under Klopp and is now regarded as one of the most decorated wing-forwards of the modern-day football. He, alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, has scripted a renaissance in Merseyside with grit, determination and spirit to drive the show.
Why Liverpool Need An Outright Left Winger Despite Mane’s Excellence
The Senegalese sensation has 18 goals and 12 assists to his name in 38 appearances – numbers that depict his sheer excellence down the wide. However, the gaffer must rope in an able backup of the 28-year-old, similar to what Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri are providing to maintain the balance as an understudy to Firmino and Salah respectively. Although Origi has been deployed on the left on several occasions, his goal-poaching attributes suit him more in the ‘number 9’ role over the makeshift status.
Correa, on the other hand, is versatile, slots in as a second striker, midfield attacker as well as a left-winger. His significance should not be underestimated in Lazio’s Scudetto-chasing campaign but the club, despite inserting a £72m release clause in the Argentine’s contract, might have to let him leave on a cut-price deal to cope up with the post-pandemic financial crisis.
Yet they should aim for a hefty profit on the €16m fee spent to secure his services and it is to be seen now how Liverpool react in the market once the coronavirus chaos gets over later this year.
