Liverpool have made an enquiry for AS Monaco winger Maghnes Akliouche, who is reportedly open to a Premier League move. The Reds have tested the water with the Ligue 1 side for the French international as they look to bolster their forward line.
Transfer Interest and Competition
According to the Liverpool ECHO, talks were initiated with Monaco earlier in the transfer window as Liverpool scoured the winger market. Andoni Iraola's side face the need to replace Mohamed Salah and have drawn up a shortlist of targets including Bradley Barcola, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Said El Mala.
Paris Saint-Germain, who appear to have beaten Liverpool to RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande, have reportedly had three bids for Akliouche knocked back, with the most recent offer understood to be in the region of £34million.
Akliouche's Stance and Profile
According to PA Sports, Akliouche is open to a Premier League move and has been learning English in recent months. Despite this, PSG remain frontrunners to secure the winger's signature but are continuing to pursue their targets.
Akliouche has played over 100 times for Monaco, registering 23 goals and 28 assists across 139 matches. He featured in Didier Deschamps' squad at the World Cup, bringing his tally of caps for France to 10.
Iraola on Transfer Needs
Liverpool have already signed Victor Munoz, who will join his new teammates upon his return following Spain's World Cup campaign, but head coach Andoni Iraola made it clear that signing a winger this summer is a necessity.
Iraola said: "No, I think it is difficult to say a number when the market is open. You have to be always open to new options to improve the squad. There are obvious situations where we need to sign players. A winger for example, we definitely need to sign a winger, but there are other situations where we will have to analyse what the market gives you, what is the cost, how we also see the players we have. We have some tricky positions where we have injured players, that we trust, but it is still not the ideal situation, so it will depend on a lot of things."
Background on Liverpool's Search
Liverpool's desire to recruit a winger has been widely documented in the wake of Salah's departure. The club were prepared to spend £86m on Diomande, though the Ivorian has indicated a preference for joining PSG - a move which has not yet materialised.
