Liverpool want Belgian hotshot to become first summer signing - and he's someone Arne Slot knows well: report

Arne Slot Liverpool manager on the touchline for Feyenoord
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Liverpool are welcoming in a new era at Anfield, after the club waved an emotion goodbye to Jurgen Klopp on the final day of the Premier League season.

Arne Slot will soon arrive to take his place, and the Dutch boss has already made his presence felt by steering the club towards a preferred transfer target, according to reports.

With rumours continuing to swirl around the future of several Liverpool stars, a summer of change could be coming on Merseyside.

Mohamed Salah Liverpool winger and forward chases the ball as he looks to score in the Premier League

The future of players like Salah is still up in the air (Image credit: Alamy)

Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri has reported that one of the new faces could be 21-year-old PSV winger Johan Bakayoko. 

The Belgium international is a player that departing Feyenoord manager Slot knows well from the Eredivisie, where he produced 12 goals and nine assists this season to help PSV clinch the title. 

Bakayoko's arrival is said to have been approved by Slot and Liverpool’s chief scout Barry Hunter, with the English club’s interest going back more than a year.

Liverpool target Johan Bakayoko has been compared to Neymar

Bakayoko has enjoyed a breakthrough season with PSV  (Image credit: Getty Images)

PSV want €50 million (£43m) for his signature, but are likely to accept a lower bid, while Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig are among the clubs who could enter the race.

Bakayoko has two years left on his contract in Eindhoven and is valued at £34m by Transfermarkt.

The 11-time Belgium international will hope to make a splash at Euro 2024 this summer. 

He is coming off a title-winning breakthrough season where he scored 14 goals and added 14 assists, helping PSV reach the Champions League last 16, where they lost to Dortmund.

Liverpool finished the Premier League season with a 2-0 win over Wolves to send Klopp out with a victory at Anfield.

The Reds finished third, nine points behind champions Manchester City, to secure Champions League qualification. 

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio. 

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