Five players Liverpool should request in exchange for Suarez.
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With recent reports suggesting that Real Madrid are competing with Barcelona for the signing of Luis Suarez from Liverpool, CaughtOffside takes a look at five players currently on the books at the Bernabeu who Liverpool should try to get in return.
Although the departure of Suarez would no doubt be a major blow for the Reds, who came so close to winning the Premier League title thanks to the Uruguayan’s sensational goalscoring form this season, a deal with Real Madrid opens up the possibility of a number of high-class performers moving in the other direction to address other areas of Brendan Rodgers’ squad.
With signings arguably needed in both full-back positions as well as in midfield and attack, below are five potential transfer targets for Liverpool as they look to make the most out of Suarez’s likely departure to Spain.
5) Fabio Coentrao
With Aly Cissokho failing to impress in his season-long loan at Anfield in 2013/14, Brendan Rodgers is likely to be in the market for a new left-back this summer, despite the fine performances of youngster Jon Flanagan for much of this season, who filled in admirably in the role despite playing out of position on his weaker side.
While a number of other possible targets have been mentioned as targets for the Reds, Fabio Coentrao could also be a contender to come in and do a job in that role. The Portuguese international has not always been first choice for Real in his time at the club, but he has shown plenty of potential in his performances and has attracted interest from Premier League clubs such as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the recent past. Although a striker to directly replace Suarez would still obviously be needed, Coentrao arriving along with a decent injection of cash would not be the worst thing in the world for the Merseyside giants.
4) Daniel Carvajal
On the opposite side of their defence, Liverpool could possibly do with an upgrade on the inconsistent Glen Johnson, who is also stalling on signing a new contract at Anfield. With Real Madrid chasing Suarez and possibly willing to let promising young right-back Daniel Carvajal leave, Liverpool should make the most of the opportunity to sign the talented Spaniard. The 22-year-old impressed greatly in his single season in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, before being re-signed last summer by the club where he started his career. His form has not been quite as expected upon his return to the Spanish capital, but there’s plenty of promise there that Liverpool would be landing themselves a quality long-term signing at right-back if they could get him.
3) Alvaro Morata
With Suarez’s departure set to leave a gaping hole in Liverpool’s attack next season, they will certainly need to look at options available to them upfront when possible. Even without Suarez, Real Madrid are blessed with a whole host of superb options in attack and they cannot possibly fit them all in as they continue their big spending in the transfer market.
Promising young striker Alvaro Morata is likely to be the first in line for the axe this summer after becoming increasingly frustrated at a lack of regular playing time at the Bernabeu, which has led to strong interest from the likes of Arsenal and Juventus. Liverpool have also reportedly shown an interest in securing his services, and unsurprisingly, a possible swap deal involving Suarez has already been touted as a possibility, though it could depend largely on where the player himself chooses to move to.
Although still raw, Morata has shown some great ability in front of goal and could eventually prove a top class attacking player for the Reds, even if he probably won’t be the immediate answer to replace the world class ability of Suarez.
2) Isco
Earlier this year, Liverpool were linked with a move for Real Madrid starlet Isco that would have seen him become their record signing at £37m. A few months later, the Reds may be in with a realistic chance of signing him for nothing if they can persuade Real to let him move to Anfield as part of any potential deal for Suarez.
Strongly linked with the likes of Manchester City last summer whilst still at Malaga, Isco has long been regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in La Liga, and much was expected of him when he made the move to the Bernabeu. Although things have not quite worked out for him in his first season at the club, Isco has shown some moments of genuine class and there’s no doubt Liverpool would be landing themselves a star of the future if they could get him. Able to play in a variety of attacking midfield roles, Isco’s creativity and skill would make him a perfect fit in Brendan Rodgers’ system, and he would surely be among the finest players in the Premier League before too long.
1) Karim Benzema
An ambitious move perhaps, but the ideal signing for Liverpool to replace a player of Suarez’s quality would be the equally prolific Karim Benzema, who is criminally under-rated by Madrid despite years of terrific service to the club. Still only 26 years old, the French international forward has 111 goals in 235 games for the Spanish giants, and has regularly been among their top scorers in each of his last four seasons at the club, helping them to a title win in La Liga in 2011/12.
With Real’s search for a new striker well-documented, Benzema has been linked several times with an exit from the Bernabeu, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea among those keen to snap him up if he does become available. Liverpool, however, have also been linked with him and could do well to propose a straight swap deal with Suarez to land the in-form attacker, who is currently starring for France at this summer’s World Cup. There’s no doubt Benzema would go on to be a hit in the Premier League, and his eye for goal would certainly help ease the loss of Suarez very quickly. One of Liverpool’s rivals will surely snap him up otherwise, so the Merseysiders should act quickly and bring this top talent to Anfield.