Liverpool ready to agree crazy fee to sign Arne Slot’s Ousmane Dembele | OneFootball

Here's a crazy thought, what if Liverpool don't actually need to sign a no.9 this summer?

Yes, you read that right. After months and months of speculation about who will replace Darwin Nunez at Anfield, it might be the case that there will be no direct replacement for the Uruguayan after all.

Shop the LFC Store

The new LFC x Air Max range 🔥

LFC Retro Shirts

Buy Now

LFC Kits

Buy Now

LFC Nike Training

Buy Now

Nunez is still expected to depart but after the latest transfer updates, it's now becoming increasingly obvious that Arne Slot might have an interesting plan to evolve his team in the image of Paris Saint Germain.

Liverpool were blown away by the French side, despite not playing with an out-and-out forward in the two Champions League ties against them this season.

Slot has been hugely appreciative of PSG's style, with the dynamism and flexibility they have in attack, as well as the full-backs bombing forward.

That's probably why Liverpool are now closing in on signing Jeremie Frimpong. He could be Slot's very own Achraf Hakimi. Meanwhile, Milos Kerkez is a target to be the club's Nuno Mendes as Anfield Watch exclusively revealed back in November.

The only player that would be missing after them is Liverpool's equivalent of Ousmane Dembele.

After PSG brought in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Dembele was shifted further up the pitch and has often played as a false no.9 for Luis Enrique's side.

In the process, the Frenchman has become ludicrously productive and has emerged as one of the frontrunners to win the Ballon d'Or this year.

The Reds obviously have Mohamed Salah who is a Ballon d'Or candidate but he's more of the Kvaratskhelia in the PSG equivalent of Liverpool's system.

Slot needs his own Dembele and in the form of Florian Wirtz he may have found it. As David Ornstein reported in The Athletic, Liverpool have made contact with Wirtz and are monitoring his situation.

Bayer Leverkusen valued him at €150 million (£126.5m) as per Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger. Obviously, this would represent a significant chunk of Liverpool's budget.

But for Wirtz, it's worth it. He is a world-class talent who can play in multiple positions across the attack. If Liverpool can bring him in, he could very much become Slot's very own Dembele, functioning in multiple roles and negating the needs for the Reds to sign a forward.

It might seem like a crazy concept, but it's not really. Paris Saint Germain have cruised to the Ligue 1 title this season and are on the brink of winning the Champions League, having reached the final and being firm favourites against Inter Milan.

Modern football has evolved to become more than just traditional no.9 forward players. Wirtz still brings you goals and creativity, he's been involved in 31 goal contributions this season.

He'll also make the likes of Salah, Diaz and Gakpo alongside him even better. Put him in this team and Liverpool are going to be formidable.

This is why the clubs have held talks with him and this is why they are ready to make a move and even spend such a crazy fee to land him.

He changes the game for Liverpool. He would become the Nunez replacement.