Liverpool have perfect ace card to beat Vincent Kompany and Arsenal to €50m signing

It's become fairly well-documented that Liverpool are one of two Premier League clubs yet to make a signing this summer. Fulham are the only other side in the top flight yet to replenish their options.

Kopites have witnessed Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea bring in fresh faces, while Arsenal made David Raya's loan deal permanent.

Certainly, it's a contrast to 12 months ago when the Reds had recruited Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai ahead of the return to pre-season for a combined fee of £95 million.

Yet this transfer window is of polarity. It was paramount that Liverpool strengthened their faltering midfield after a lacklustre 2022-23 season that saw Champions League football relinquished. And given that several clubs were in the market to bolster their engine room, the Reds had to move swiftly to secure their top targets.

This time around, however, there is no such need. Assessing Liverpool's squad, there are no glaring gaps that require reinforcements. After a third-place finish in the Premier League, with a roster largely made up of players still to peak, it's why new head coach Arne Slot is happy with what he's inherited.

That's not to say there won't be additions. New faces could arrive later in the window. Richard Hughes, who has taken up the role of sporting director, admitted it might be in August when Liverpool's business kicks into life. Understandably, Hughes will want to display his acumen in the market - as predecessors Michael Edwards, Julian Ward and Jorg Schmadtke did.

And it's why one such report marries up with what Hughes declared when speaking at Slot's first press conference. One suggested transfer target for Liverpool is Johan Bakayoko and according to Belgium-based reporter Sacha Tavolieri, it might be several weeks before the PSV Eindhoven winger moves on to pastures new.

Bayayoko is a player that Slot will be fully aware of from his time as Feyenoord supremo. The Belgium international plundered 14 goals and 14 assists to help PSV win the Eredivisie title ahead of the Rotterdam club last season.

And primarily operating in a right-wing role in the Netherlands, he could fit into the Reds' short and long-term plans. Most supporters concur that a Mo Salah successor is required at some point. Liverpool's talisman has entered the final year of his Anfield contract and it's a genuine possibility that it could be his last campaign at the club. Moreover, aged 32, it's widely agreed that a bona fide deputy is needed. After returning from a recurring hamstring injury last term, Salah struggled to hit the heights he's renowned for. Given he scarcely missed a game before that, fatigue was perhaps the chief factor.

Assessing Bakayoko's profile, he certainly fits the bill to be Salah's understudy - and that would meet Liverpool's usual policy. He's still only aged 21, several years from hitting his zenith and would have a sell-on value down the line.

Earlier this month, Bakayoko admitted a departure from PSV would appeal if it were to a club who will compete for silverware. Given that the Reds have won seven trophies in the past six years, as well as finishing runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League on two other occasions, he'd hardly be making a switch to an outfit desperate to end a drought.

The caveat, though, is that he has two years remaining on his Phillips Stadium contract. PSV still hold a portion of the bargaining chips and Bakayoko is not desperate to depart. Bayern Munich and Arsenal have also been linked with Bakayoko. In truth, they would both appeal. Bayern are in transition under Vincent Kompany but will be fully expected to be in the fray to recapture the Bundesliga title. Arsenal, meanwhile, will be hoping they can finally dethrone Manchester City after settling for second spot in the past two seasons.

Yet Liverpool could have the perfect ace card to win a transfer battle if one was to ensure. That is because the Reds could use one of their players as a potential makeweight in a deal. PSV are one of several clubs who are interested in signing Liverpool’s Sepp van den Berg. The 22-year-old centre-back has returned to Merseyside after spending last season on loan at Mainz 05 where he enjoyed regular football.

Yet he finds himself fifth choice in the Reds' pecking order, with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah all ahead. Van den Berg has expressed his desire to play regularly - but believes the reported price tag of £20 million that has been slapped on him could thwart a move.

"I could have been at Liverpool for one or two more years, but I wanted to play with all my might,” he told De Telegraaf. "I demanded to be [loaned] out. Every time, because I felt that I was getting better and better. I also made great strides physically.

"Just the whole [first] season. On the one hand, that was great. Yes, how does that work, you're 17, 18 years old, you're central to the defence in training against the starting XI, you have to build up and then Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah come running towards you. It was tough, but I enjoyed it. But in all honesty, I wasn't looked after anymore.

"I also felt 'ready' [in 2021]. I had a good conversation with the management. He said he had received good reports. I understood that I wasn't going to play Van Dijk, Matip or Konate out [the team]. But I thought I could be right behind it. When I didn't get a chance again, I said: 'Figure it out, I want to leave.'

"You (Liverpool) didn't exude confidence in me all this time, but you do want to hinder my future. I want to keep playing every week and develop myself further. In Germany, I enjoy Dortmund away with 70,000 people, Bayern Munich away against Harry Kane, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Leverkusen, against clubs like that I am challenged every week."

It was reported by De Telegraaf that PSV will demand between €40-50 million for Bakayoko. But if Van den Berg is not in Liverpool’s plans for next season, they may have something that could sweeten a deal - and would suit all parties.