The World Cup is less than a week away, and there are already reports of potential Liverpool signings, including Mohamed Kudus from Ajax.
While Jurgen Klopp himself is not attending the tournament this year, instead preferring a mid-season vacation, the same cannot be said for the club’s scouts.
Signing players after a breakthrough tournament may never be the wisest move, but monitoring performances in Qatar will be a valuable exercise when it comes to weighing up future goals.
According to Sports World Ghana, which conveniently calls itself “Ghana’s authoritative and most trustworthy sports website,” the Group H match between Portugal and Ghana was attended by Liverpool.
Portugal — without Diogo Jota due to injury — ran out 3-2 winners in a breathtaking match that does not exclude controversy, and Otto Addo doubts that Cristiano Ronaldo’s reputation brought his team a dubious penalty.
But SportsWorldGhana claims that Liverpool representatives have been following the versatile 22-year-old Kudus from Ghana.
Kudus plays his club football with Ajax, scoring a goal in a 2-1 win against the Reds at Anfield in September, and played 77 minutes in the defeat to Portugal.
Probably, the scouts were impressed by the fact that Kudus set Andre Ayew the task of returning the score 1-1 shortly before his replacement.
Although he is often used in the Ajax attack, on Thursday the Ghanaian took a place in midfield, and is also able to act at number 10 and even on the flank.
This versatility will undoubtedly endear Kudus to Liverpool, as SportsWorldGhana claims that the club “hopes to bring him to Anfield in January.”
Of course, any such statement should be treated with a degree of skepticism, especially considering that the source has not yet been confirmed by a more reliable source.
But it goes without saying that Kudus will be a player on the Reds’ radar, even in an ever-changing landscape as owners seek sales and athletic director Julian Ward and research director Ian Graham prepare to leave.
He just turned 22 in August, but he has already accumulated considerable experience at Ajax, and before that at the Danish Nordselland.
This includes nine matches in the Champions League, four goals and two assists in six matches of the European top-level tournament this season.
His ability to fit into various midfield and attacking roles also suits Klopp’s flexible system, in line with the tendency to sign players who are not limited to one position.
Kudus’ contract expires in 2025 and it has been claimed that he did not train with Ajax on deadline day in September in the hope of securing a £15 million move to Everton.
This deal fell through, Ajax refused to part with another player, and now there is a chance that he will earn a transfer to the other side of Stanley Park.
However, any transfer will almost certainly require a commission well in excess of 15 million pounds.
