Liverpool Keen On Signing Chelsea Winger As Mane’s Successor: A Risk Worth Taking?

In a recent tweet, renowned German journalist Christian Falk confirmed that Liverpool are keen on signing Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic in the upcoming transfer window as Jurgen Klopp looks set to add to his attacking options ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The Merseyside club wants to sign him as a replacement for Sadio Mane, who seems set to join Bayern Munich in the not-so-distant future. Liverpool were strong candidates to sign Pulisic from Dortmund in the summer of 2018, but he chose Chelsea instead.

“I like Christian, I’ve known him since he was a kid. He’s still not really old, he’s a fantastic player, and it’s deserved that people think highly of him in America.” – Klopp said in praise of Pulisic back in 2018.

“If – at one point – he will join us, I don’t know. I like him, it’s not that that could be the problem, but we respect contracts still and there’s no market I know about at the moment. We did our business and Dortmund are doing theirs. All good.”

While Klopp doesn’t have a history of returning to his ex-targets, an exception could be made for the 23-year-old attacker as the Reds need reinforcements in the winger’s department.

It would be fair to say that Christian Pulisic’s transfer to Chelsea has been an utter failure so far, mainly due to the series of unfortunate injuries he has had over the course of the last three seasons. The young American international, who once left the world in awe with his stunning performances on the pitch, is now merely a bench option for the Blues. He has made just 74 Premier League appearances in the last four years (an average of 18 outings per year), scoring nineteen goals and bagging ten assists.

This term, the number ten managed to start thirteen Premier League games under Thomas Tuchel, averaging 1.3 shots, 0.7 key passes, and 1.1 dribbles per ninety minutes in the English top-flight. Needless to say, it has been another season of disappointment for the Pulisic.

A Risk Worth Taking?

Nonetheless, under the new American ownership, it’s improbable that an American superstar (who is also USMNT’s captain) would be sold to be a direct rival club. Besides, Pulisic’s signing would come with enormous risks for Liverpool – while his injury history is a huge red flag, and no one knows if he’ll be able to perform on the same level as he did at Dortmund. Though Klopp will need to reinforce once Mane leaves, bringing in a player who has made just thirteen league starts this season doesn’t sound like a good idea – especially for the reported £50million price tag.

(Stats from WhoScored)