Liverpool have set an eight-figure transfer valuation on striker Taiwo Awoniyi amid interest from clubs around Europe.
The Liverpool Echo reported that the European champions want £15million for the 21-year-old Nigerian, who is being pursued by CSKA Moscow in a possible permanent deal.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Bundesliga clubs Schalke 04 and Mainz have also previously shown an interest in the player, who spent last season on loan at Gent and Mouscron in Belgium.
Awoniyi has yet to make a first-team appearance for Liverpool as he has been unable to obtain a work permit and, as reported by BBC, he admitted that the situation could prevent him from ever playing for the Reds.
It is a shame that bureaucratic issues could hinder Awoniyi’s prospects of making a first-team appearance for Liverpool, given his fine form in recent months.
He quickly put an unproductive spell at Gent (no goals in 16 league games) behind him to excel in his second stint at fellow Jupiler Pro League club Mouscron, where he has netted 11 goals in 16 appearances since January. Altogether he scored 14 goals in 38 games for the two clubs, averaging 0.37 per game.
Awoniyi is one of several young forwards hoping to establish themselves at Liverpool, with the likes of Rhian Brewster, Bobby Duncan, Paul Glatzel, Harry Wilson and Ben Woodburn all attempting to forge a route into Jurgen Klopp’s plans for next season.
Of those players, Brewster currently seems the most likely to be given first-team opportunities after beginning pre-season with three goals in two games, while Duncan has also scored in pre-season.
Like Awoniyi, Wilson and Woodburn were also on loan from Liverpool last season. The former scored 18 goals in 49 appearances for Derby, matching the Nigerian’s average of 0.37 per game, whereas the latter made just eight appearances at Sheffield United and did not score.
Awoniyi has the benefit of competitive action at senior level, something that Brewster, Duncan and Glatzel cannot currently claim, while he has been far more prolific than Woodburn in recent months. By that reckoning, he deserves to at least be in the frame for some opportunities at Liverpool next season if can obtain a work permit.
However, Wilson’s prolific spell much closer to home with Derby and the pre-season form of Brewster and Duncan probably makes them more visible to Klopp as the manager considers who to integrate into his first team squad over the coming months.
With Awoniyi’s work permit prospects potentially complicated further by Brexit, the Nigerian doesn’t seem like he will get his chance at Liverpool any time soon. With the Reds chasing a move for CSKA Moscow striker Fedor Chalov, as reported by The Mirror, their chances of landing him could be boosted by offering Awoniyi in return.
For Liverpool, that appears to be the best course of action to try and pursue. Both players are 21 but Chalov, as a Russia international, may not have such work permit complications and, with 15 goals in 30 league games last season, is a proven scorer at a high level.
Liverpool fans, would you be disappointed to see Awoniyi leave the club or is it for the best? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!
