In a recent print edition, Gazzetta dello Sport mentioned that Liverpool are showing interest in recruiting Sassuolo winger Domenico Berardi in this off-season. However, it is understood that the Reds would have to pay a fee of around €50m to secure the services of the Italian international in this off-season (transcripted and translated by Sport Witness).
Berardi’s Excellent Numbers In Italian Football Last Season
Berardi enjoyed a brilliant campaign in Italian football as he established himself as a productive wide player on the right side of Sassuolo’s attack. The 26-year-old featured in 30 matches for the Italian outfit last season, banging in 17 goals and grabbing eight assists across all fronts.
The Italian sensation deserves a lot of plaudits for influencing the game at both ends of the field based on his average of 1.4 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 1.0 clearances, 3.8 shots, 1.9 key passes and 1.0 dribbles per 90 minutes in the 2020-21 Serie A campaign. He even distributed the ball relatively well after making 80.5% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
Berardi has been playing some of the best football of his career over the past ten months, so it is no surprise that the Reds have registered their interest in bringing him to the northwest of England during this summer transfer period.
What Will Berardi Add To Jurgen Klopp’s Team?
Berardi is a quick and agile winger who can make a few dangerous runs in the opposition half. He also works hard for his side and can track the opposition’s runs out on the wide areas. The 13-time Italy international has proven himself to be a prolific goal-scorer and can also contribute by picking up his fair share of assists in the final third. He ticks all the right boxes in terms of what Jurgen Klopp looks for in his wingers and could turn out to be a decent replacement for Mohamed Salah at Anfield in the long run.
We can expect Berardi to add a lot of goals and creativity to the Reds frontline that sometimes struggled to fire on all cylinders in the previous campaign. At the moment, the Italian talent is good enough to offer some serious competition for Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in the race for a regular starting place in Klopp’s first XI.
Hence, the Liverpool head coach should consider engineering a move to land Berardi ahead of the new campaign as he has what it takes to be a success story at the red half of Merseyside in the coming seasons. If his recent form in the UEFA European Championships is anything to go by, recruiting Berardi will enhance the depth of the Reds squad considerably that might be enough for them to bridge the gap with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings next season.
