Liverpool make contact to sign world-class finisher | OneFootball

Liverpool have reportedly made contact to sign one of the best finishers in Europe.

At this moment in time Richard Hughes is prioritising signing a no.9 for the Reds. With Darwin Nunez's future up in the air, Liverpool are going to be short of attacking options heading into the new season.

With or without Nunez, Liverpool still need another no.9 and who that could be remains to be seen. Alexander Isak is the ultimate dream option. Newcastle United though are unwilling to budge on their stance of not wanting to sell him for the moment.

The Reds have alternatives of course. Among them, Hugo Ekitike is high up on Liverpool's radar. However, Benjamin Sesko could also be another option with Liverpool scouts having watched him in action several times for RB Leipzig last season.

The duo are not the only two players on the club's radar. Another dream option is Julian Alvarez, although again Atletico Madrid have a pretty strong stance that they won't sell him this summer either.

So, who else remains who Liverpool could target? Well, there's another world-class finisher who appears to be on the club's radar and who could be the perfect option for Arne Slot's style of play.

As per Foot Mercato Liverpool have made contact with the representatives of Jean-Philippe Mateta earlier this week in a bid to explore a move for the French forward.

At first glance, Mateta, who just turned 28-years-old, doesn't feel like a 'typical' Liverpool signing. However, there is much more to this than meets the eye and the Crystal Palace striker may actually be a solid option for the Reds.

There are several factors as to why this might be the case. As we mentioned above, Liverpool's dream options Alvarez and Isak seem to be unavailable this summer.

Sesko and Ekitike who are the alternatives are project signings and they would demand a significant fee. Are Liverpool in the position to be able to spend or commit to another project forward?

It's possible, if the club's scouts are convinced that Sesko and Ekitike could be major successes at Anfield in the long-term. However, if Liverpool decide to hold out for Alvarez or Isak in the hopes that they can sign one of them next summer, Mateta is the more sensible option.

He's a proven goal-scorer in the Premier League, who has made 46 goal contributions in his last two seasons at Crystal Palace.

Mateta is a real nuisance. He presses the ball really well and he's got the technical qualities to link-up with his teammates. His style of play would be well-suited to the way Slot wants his Liverpool side to play.

Especially because Mateta thrives inside the box. In fact he's one of the best finishers in the Premier League. Out of players who average at least 1.8 shots per 90 minutes and have played at least 1500 minutes in England's top flight last season, only Isak (25%) and Bryan Mbeumo (24.4%) had a better goal conversion rate than Mateta (23.3%).

Looking around Europe's top five leagues, Mateta ranks in the top 15 strikers above the likes of Erling Haalad (21.3%), Kylian Mbappe (19%) and Joao Pedro (18.9%).

So Mateta is one of the best finishers in Europe and he's been producing these numbers at Palace. Just imagine the kind of numbers he could be producing at Liverpool where he would link-up with the likes of Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Not to mention Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez will be whipping in crosses for him into the box from the wings.

In an environment like that, Mateta could absolutely explode and that's why he could be the club's perfect option this summer if Isak and Alvarez are not available.