German prodigy has aspirations of ‘dream’ Liverpool move; Reds have been linked with him before | OneFootball

Brighton forward Brajan Gruda has namechecked Liverpool in citing his aspirations to ‘play for a top club’ later in his career.

The Reds had actually been linked with the Germany under-21 attacker two summers ago when he was at Mainz, and Bundesliga insider Christian Falk said (via the Daily Briefing) that Anfield chiefs had actually ‘knocked on the door’ for him in the early weeks of Arne Slot’s tenure as head coach.

The youngster did move to the Premier League in August 2024, but it was the Seagulls who signed him for £25m (BBC Sport), and he supplied an assist for Yasin Ayari when Fabian Hurzeler’s side beat us 3-2 towards the backend of last season.

Gruda aspiring to ‘play for a top club’ like Liverpool

Gruda was interviewed by Sky Sports Germany on Wednesday when he was asked about what goals he wants to achieve during his career.

The 21-year-old answered: “My biggest dream is to play in the Champions League and be a full international. I want to play for a top club like Bayern [Munich], Real [Madrid], Barcelona or Liverpool.”

(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Gruda has more to prove if he’s to earn a move to Liverpool

The German forward has had an up-and-down time in England so far, with just four goals and eight assists to his name in 45 games for Brighton, a tally not helped by several injury absences (Transfermarkt).

However, he recently gave perhaps his best performance for the Seagulls in their FA Cup victory at Manchester United earlier this month, scoring one goal and setting up another as Hurzeler’s side dumped the Red Devils out of the competition in the third round.

Such displays have been all too rare from Gruda in an Albion shirt, with Sam Morton of Sussex Live writing that the 21-year-old ‘has struggled for form and fitness’ at the Amex Stadium, and it’d seem that he still has plenty to prove in English football.

The Brighton attacker has displayed some traits which could potentially pique Liverpool’s interest again in the future, as evidenced by the figures below from Fotmob.

He still appears to be some way off the level required to hold down a lasting berth in the Reds’ attack, but if he can enjoy better fortune on the injury front and increase his scoring output over the coming seasons, perhaps the Anfield hierarchy may come calling again.

If ever they need a character reference for Gruda, who better to call than his Albion teammate James Milner, who knows a thing or two about succeeding in L4!

You can watch Slot’s full post-Qarabag press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: