Liverpool have ‘sent scouts’ to watch LASK forward Keito Nakamura ahead of a potential switch to the Premier League, according to journalist Mike McGrath.
The Lowdown: Planning for the summer
The Reds completed the signing of PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo earlier in the January transfer window, and whilst Jurgen Klopp has said that there won’t be any new incomings before tonight’s deadline, that hasn’t stopped him from planning for the summer.
The Japanese attacker’s contract in the Austrian Bundesliga isn’t set to expire until 2025, but following an impressive first half of the campaign, he has been generating interest from the English top flight, in particular from Anfield and Brighton.
The Latest: Liverpool eyeing Nakamura
Taking to Twitter, McGrath revealed that Liverpool have sent scouts to see Nakamura in action this term and are set to keep a close eye on him in the lead-up to the summer transfer window.
The Telegraph reporter tweeted: “LASK forward Keito Nakamura subject of approaches from FC Augsburg and Reims but the Japanese player is set to stay with [the] Austrian Bundesliga club for [this] season.
“Liverpool & Brighton have sent scouts to watch him this season (8 goals+3 assists/15 apps) & will monitor him.”
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The Verdict: One for the future
Earlier this season, football talent scout Jacek Kulig gushed that Nakamura has been ‘on fire’, and he would appear to be a massively exciting prospective signing for Liverpool in the long-term.
The Japanese winger has posted 17 goal contributions in 18 appearances for LASK across all competitions so far this season and has represented his country at various age grades up to under-21, albeit without earning a senior cap as of yet (Transfermarkt).
Nakamura also shares the same agent as both Joe Gomez and Curtis Jones, so this could possibly give the Merseyside club an advantage if the race for his signature intensifies in the coming months.