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Watford forward Joao Pedro has caught the eye of Liverpool, according to reports from the Daily Mail (via The Hard Tackle).
The Reds are bracing for the departure of Sadio Mane this summer. Mane, whose current contract with the Reds is set to end in 2023, has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich by various news outlets. Jurgen Klopp's side are also set to lose Divock Origi on a free transfer.
Despite the twin departures, they do have quite a few options upfront in the form of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota. The likes of Harvey Elliott and Takumi Minamino have also impressed on occasion while the club have brought in Fabio Carvalho from Fulham as well.
However, Liverpool may want to add another forward to fill the void left by Mane, who has been one of their best players in recent years. Since arriving in 2016, the Senegalese forward has scored 120 goals in 269 matches across all competitions for the club while also laying out 48 assists.
The Reds have been linked with a number of players, including Serge Gnabry, Ousmane Dembele and Arnaut Danjuma. Pedro is another name who has now popped up in the rumor mill.
The 20-year-old has impressed at times during his time at Vicarage Road, having joined Watford from Brazilian side Fluminense in the summer of 2020. Since then, he has played 74 times for the Hornets across all competitions, recording 13 goals and five assists.
Liverpool will look to build on impressive 2021-22 campaign
While they failed to win the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, Liverpool still enjoyed a fantastic 2021-22 season. The Reds lost just four times in 63 matches across all competitions, making the finals of all three cup competitions and finishing second in the league.
Klopp's troops picked up the FA Cup and Carabao Cup for their efforts, while also taking the Premier League title race up to the final day before falling a point short. They created plenty of chances to win the Champions League final as well, but a lack of clinicality saw them lose 1-0 to Real Madrid.
Regardless, Liverpool will be raring to go next season and some shrewd business in the summer could see them challenge on all fronts once again.
