‘The next one…’ – Jamie Carragher makes Liverpool transfer prediction after Wirtz and Kerkez | OneFootball

As Liverpool continue to pursue deals for Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez, Jamie Carragher has predicted where Richard Hughes might turn next if those two prospective signings get over the line.

A hectic start to the summer transfer window at Anfield has seen the Reds snap up Jeremie Frimpong, submit two offers for his former Bayer Leverkusen teammate and (in the words of Fabrizio Romano) ‘advance’ in their attempts to sign the Bournemouth left-back.

Nobody can accuse the LFC sporting director of not being proactive, and if the two transfers which are currently in the works come to fruition sooner rather than later, that’d still leave ample time for further recruitment before the end of August.

Carragher makes Liverpool transfer prediction

Carragher was discussing Liverpool’s prospective marketplace activity on the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, and he’s given his forecast as to the area of the squad that the Premier League champions will target if they can complete the signings of Wirtz and Kerkez.

The Sky Sports pundit said: “I think the next one is a centre-forward and I wouldn’t be surprised if, Liverpool get these two or three done, the next one is a centre-forward.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Who could Liverpool sign if they’re to strengthen at centre-forward?

The Reds’ top three scorers in the 2024/25 campaign were all primarily wingers (Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz), so Arne Slot might well be seeking a truly potent number 9 to match or even exceed the output of that trio.

Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota managed just 16 goals between them in all competitions for the season, and it’s widely expected that the Uruguayan will move on this summer, having had to rely mostly on substitute appearances over the past few months.

While much of the focus has been trained on the ongoing pursuits of Wirtz and Kerkez, Liverpool have also been linked with a handful of centre-forwards. They continue to vie with Chelsea for Hugo Ekitike and have reportedly shown a ‘serious interest’ in Benjamin Sesko (DAVEOCKOP).

Robbie Fowler chipped in with his own suggestion of Ollie Watkins in a Q&A on social media in recent days, but whether or not the Reds make a genuine attempt to sign any of those prospective candidates remains to be seen.

The addition of a world-class number 9 could turn an already excellent LFC team into a truly formidable force, but with so many Premier League clubs yearning for a marquee centre-forward addition this summer, Hughes could have quite the challenge on his hands to address that part of Slot’s squad.

For now, all eyes are on Wirtz and Kerkez to see if either or both will make the move to Anfield this month.