Richard Hughes ‘on the phone’ to land 10-goal Prem winger for Liverpool | OneFootball

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes is expected to be “on the phone” to put the Reds at the head of the queue for a highly sought-after Premier League winger.

The Reds will be on the hunt for a Mohamed Salah replacement in the summer, and that’s no small feat. The Egyptian superstar has 256 goals and 122 assists to his name in a Liverpool shirt and that’ll be a tough act to follow.

The club have been heavily linked with Michael Olise of late, but reports suggest the Frenchman will be put out of reach by Bayern Munich.

Bournemouth winger Eli Junior Kroupi has a growing list of admirers amid a 10-goal debut season with the Cherries, and reports now state Liverpool are one of the clubs keen on him.

A Caught Offside report suggests they and Chelsea will be in the mix, with a sources reported to have said: “Liverpool and Chelsea have a very concrete interest, they’re both really keen to make a deal happen this summer and are looking into it.”

Another reportedly said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Liverpool have already had some conversations. Richard Hughes has a good relationship with his former club and will be on the phone to his counterparts there after that performance yesterday.”

Kroupi admirers growing after Arsenal performance

The report suggests that Kroupi’s performance against Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday might well be one of the reasons clubs are looking favourably on him.

Kroupi helped to blow the title race wide open when he bagged the first of two Bournemouth goals – his second in as many games – as the beat the Gunners, meaning Manchester City can conceivably cut the gap to the leaders to just two points with games in hand.

Doing it in big games like that show that Kroupi could be ready to make the step to one of the Premier League’s biggest teams.

As such, it will be an interesting battle for his services in the summer, particularly if he continues to impress for Bournemouth between now and then.

Liverpool round-up: Konate talks hit a bump

It had been reported that talks between Liverpool and Ibrahima Konate had been running smoothly towards a conclusion.

However, insider David Ornstein reveals they have now reached “an impasse,” throwing his future up in the air.

Elsewhere, while it’s known Andy Robertson will be leaving in the summer, with Tottenham at the head of the queue for his signature, it’s not definite they’ll land him, with Celtic and former club Hull both in the mix, TEAMtalk understands.

And, there seems very little chance that Eddie Howe will take over at Anfield in the event that Arne Slot is sacked, with his bridges burned with the club during the Alexander Isak transfer saga of last summer.