Liverpool plan big move to sign “one of PL's best players”

Liverpool have to watch as their rivals chase silverware to the limit, and while silverware may not be sought every season, there is no doubt that the Reds have fallen by the wayside in Arne Slot's second year.

The Premier League champions have been far enough away, and while many issues need to be resolved in the summer transfer window, the buzz will focus on Mohamed Salah.

Salah, 33, will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, ending one of the most important careers in English football history. A dramatic decline and his public falling out with Slot midway through the season made this a sad end to an amazing journey, but that's usually the way it is.

Salah is off, and replacing him won't be easy, but you can make the case that the left side of Slot's frontline is in equal need of strengthening this summer.

Liverpool are looking for a left winger

There is no doubt that Liverpool have been hit by injuries this season, but they have not helped themselves, and the attacking line has struggled to strengthen everyone.

It is said that Liverpool will be looking for more than one player this summer. Not only does Salah need to be replaced, but Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes needs to find an upgrade in Cody Gakpo, whose poor performance throughout the campaign led commentator Raj Chohan to call him a “Europa League-level player”.

Gakpo is still fit and strong, while Hugo Ekitike's long-term injury and Alexander Isak's ongoing concussion mean he will not be sold this summer.

However, Liverpool could add depth to their attack, and according to TEAMtalk, they are ready to do just that with a bid from Manchester United for Iliman Ndiaye.

Ndiaye, 26, is Everton's attacking midfielder, and a move to Liverpool would be controversial, to say the least, not out of the realm of possibility, although it would cost the Reds around £75m.

Why Ndiaye could be Liverpool's Gakpo upgrade

Ndiaye's speed and power in the final third are two things Liverpool have missed this season. The emergence of Rio Ngumoha has shed some light on what the Slot team has been lacking, but the 17-year-old, for all his exciting skills, is far from finished, and his playing time must remain manageable.

He is regarded as one of the mavericks, a winger who is bright and powerful in his attacking efforts, guiding past opponents and a complete package of space. When hitting with precision, he is certainly more accurate and effective than the likes of Gakpo.

Since Luis Diaz was sold to Bayern Munich for £65.5m last summer, Liverpool have lost a lot of power and unpredictability in the left-back. Ndiaye will bring that back to Slot's team and then some.

Described by the ever-talking Jamie O'Hara as “one of the best players in the Premier League”, Ndiaye would be a welcome ton to counter the style regression we've seen in the Slot system this season. Plus, wouldn't it be nice to swipe Everton's talisman on them?

Gakpo will not be sold this summer, and rightly so. Liverpool will not have enough depth in their forward line to let go of their versatile Dutch striker, who has scored 18 goals in all competitions in 2024/25 as the Reds push to the top of the Premier League.

However, in Ndiaye, Slot will strike gold in a different type of striker, who could make the difference in returning to the top of English and European football next year.