Arne Slot 'told transfer reunion will cost $87m' as Liverpool boss weighs up January plans
More important than anything Liverpool could do in the January transfer window is getting contracts sorted for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. But that is not to say that sporting director Richard Hughes shouldn't be active in the winter market too.
Having missed out on Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who this week insisted that he hasn't changed his stance on leaving La Real since rejecting the Reds, signing another midfielder would make sense for Liverpool. That is an area that has been identified as upgradeable, even though Zubimendi was seen as an opportunity in the market rather than a number six being an absolute necessity.
Nevertheless, Orkun Kokcu was linked with a move to Liverpool long before Arne Slot was at Anfield. And according to the Portuguese outlet Record, Liverpool could go back in for Kokcu in January.
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Previously at Feyenoord, it is suggested that his current employer, the Portuguese giant Benfica, would demand a fee of $87m (£61m/€80m) to let him leave. That is more than three times the sum that it splashed out to bring in the Turk last year.
Though Liverpool still has Harvey Elliott to return from injury and Ryan Gravenberch has surprised everyone with just how good he has been so far this season, it would be a good idea for the Reds to bring in another top-class option in the middle of the pitch. If anything were to happen to Gravenberch, it could very quickly be left looking light of numbers.
Under Slot so far, Liverpool has won nine out of 10 matches, losing only to Nottingham Forest and currently sitting on top of the Premier League. A mid-season signing, though, could offer a boost, with the Reds having snapped up the likes of Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz in recent January windows.
Liverpool.com says: Not 24 until December, Kokcu could be the right kind of profile for Liverpool to consider. He certainly wouldn't be signed just because of his link to Slot, though, and paying more than $80m for his services would seem extremely steep. Adding another body in midfield would be a good idea and Kokcu can play a couple of different roles in the middle of the pitch.