Liverpool are considering making a move for 19-year-old Belgian winger Jeremy Doku this summer, according to a report from Belgian outlet Voetbal24 (via Rousing the Kop).
Jeremy Doku has had a meteoric rise in the past few seasons. He joined Ligue 1 side Rennes for €26 million from Anderlecht. Doku later impressed at Euro 2020 for Belgium, which attracted a host of European giants including Liverpool.
According to the aforementioned source, Liverpool will have to fork out as much as £38 million to sign Jeremy Doku this summer. Although Liverpool are not renowned for spending big regularly, the source does see Rennes lowering their asking price as most Ligue 1 sides are deprived of cash due to the ongoing global pandemic. Liverpool have already spent big to sign Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig this summer.
This is not the first time Liverpool have shown interest in signing Jeremy Doku under Jurgen Klopp. According to the Guardian, the Reds nearly signed Doku back in 2018. However, the Belgian decided against joining the Premier League back then.
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Liverpool are in dire need to sign backup for their front-three
Liverpool have one of the most feared front-threes in Europe. The likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Firmino have a great understanding of each other, which has always been Klopp's main weapon going forward.
However, Liverpool will need to sign a backup or two more than ever. Mane and Salah will leave to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations in early 2022. This will leave the Reds with just Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota as their main striking options.
On top of that, Liverpool are ready to offload the likes of Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri this summer at the right price, leaving the squad with even fewer options up front.
Jeremy Doku could be the ideal signing for Liverpool as they look to find the right backup for one of their front-threes. The Belgian international is still young and would be ready to serve as a backup and sit on the bench for a couple of seasons before replacing either Salah or Mane on the wings in the foreseeable future.