Liverpool could fast-track transfer plans to try and pull off Luis Diaz-esque heist this week | OneFootball

Liverpool have one more week remaining to try and strengthen Arne Slot’s squad in the January transfer window, and reports suggest that they might yet pursue a last-gasp coup this month.

Reliable sources such as James Pearce have emphasised on more than one occasion that the Reds are unlikely to bring anyone in before next Monday’s deadline unless an opportunistic prospective signing is identified.

However, it now appears as though Richard Hughes might roll the dice on a potential incoming deal over the coming days.

Liverpool considering late January raid for Jorrel Hato

According to Rudy Galetti for TEAMtalk, Liverpool are considering making a move for Jorrel Hato this week and could fast-track their initial plans to target him for the summer transfer window.

With Virgil van Dijk’s contract situation still precariously balanced, and both Real Madrid and Chelsea lodging recent enquiries about the Ajax defender, Anfield chiefs might feel a need to act now rather than waiting for another few months.

Although the Amsterdam giants are relucant to sell the 18-year-old mid-season, an offer in the region of €30m (£25.2m) might yet persuade them to cash in on a player whose versatility and long-term potential is highly valued by Slot.

(Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Could Liverpool repeat Luis Diaz coup with a move for Hato?

After Hato was reportedly spotted in attendance at Anfield during Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Ipswich on Saturday, speculation over a possible move has inevitably intensified for a player who’d been the subject of scouting missions from Merseyside during the autumn.

Although 2024 was exceedingly quiet in terms of incomings in L4, with Federico Chiesa the only addition to the squad from 12 months ago (Giorgi Mamardashvili doesn’t arrive until the off-season), LFC have used the January transfer window to great effect in previous years.

One prominent mid-season coup was Luis Diaz, who joined from Porto three years ago this week. On that occasion, the Reds initially had designs on signing him the following summer but moved for him mid-season in order to steal him from under Tottenham’s noses.

If Liverpool sign Hato this week, it’d have strong echoes of the Colombian’s arrival in 2022 in terms of fast-tracking a proposed transfer by a few months in the face of strong competition from elsewhere.

Although the LFC recruitment team usually don’t consider signing players who’ve yet to reach 150 senior appearances, the Ajax defender is already on 92, a hugely impressive total for someone who’s still only 18 years old.

After Milos Kerkez ruled out the possiblity of a move to Anfield in recent days, could the Dutch teenager be the Reds’ long-term solution at left-back? It should be compelling to see if these reports of a potential raid on Amsterdam this week preface a Diaz-esque late January raid.