Villarreal of Spain winger, Samuel Chukwueze has received a very strong hint that he will be heading to Liverpool this summer, in a deal that will see him replace Switzerland star, Xherdan Shaqiri at the Anfield outfit.
The Chile 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup gold medalist and third highest goals scorer, who is heading for his debut at the Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles next month, has been on fire all through this season, and could become the next Nigerian to don Liverpool’s jersey.
A report by Team Talk stated that Shaqiri’s future at Liverpool has been thrown into doubt after a surprise report claimed Jurgen Klopp wanted to sell him and sign Chukwueze to replace him.
Shaqiri joined the Reds in a bargain £13m deal from Stoke last summer but after a promising start, a mystery injury appeared to curtail his progress, which was later attributed to something quite embarrassing.
However, his time at Anfield could be drawing to an unexpected close and Klopp could ship out the former Stoke City, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich forward this summer.
The report claims that Shaqiri’s fleeting contributions have not pleased Klopp, as the winger is out of step with what the gaffer wants tactically.
Furthermore, with the 27-year-old only scoring six times and assisting five goals in 30 appearances in all competitions, Klopp is looking for a younger lad, who can apply more pressure on his favoured front three.
According to Goal, that has led Liverpool turning their focus fully on ‘Samu,’ who has enjoyed a standout season with Villarreal in LaLiga.
The left-footed winger, who has a €60m exit clause in his contract, is high on the mind of Klopp, who believes the lad has all the attributes needed to become a huge star.
Klopp’s Kop in the making scored five times in 19 LaLiga outings and also catching the eye in the Europa League.
However, Villarreal are likely to try and fight to keep the player at El Madrigal, but even The Yellow Submarine know a big bid from Liverpool would be difficult to refuse.
It was further gathered that the 20-year-old Chukwueze, who is also wanted by Manchester City, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, has already spoken of his interest in the Premier League.
Such was Chukwueze’s aspiration earlier this year, when he told Tribal Football: “Playing in England is still an ambition for me.
“I need to keep on working hard and to keep improving. I really want to play in England.
“It was very close for me to sign for Arsenal, almost had the contract in my hands.
“Unfortunately, it did not work out fine with my academy due to the side of payment. They did not agree with the terms of the contract.”
