Liverpool will have some significant hurdles to overcome if they wish to steal highly-rated youngster Jamal Musiala away from Bavaria in future.
One such hurdle Christian Falk reported on, however, could offer the Reds something of an advantage if they were to swoop in early on this matter – specifically, the player’s wage demands.
“Liverpool’s German coach, Jürgen Klopp, and sports director, Jörg Schmadtke, are once again eyeing the Bundesliga – and could really annoy FC Bayern over three personalities!” the German journalist wrote in his exclusive Fact Files column.
“The most important: Liverpool are very interested in Jamal Musiala. After Jude Bellingham, the Reds don’t want to miss out on the next talent from the Bundesliga originally trained in England.
“Liverpool are hopeful in light of their awareness of Musiala’s agents having decided not to hold talks about a new contract with Bayern this season, with his current terms running until 2026.
“Musiala’s side would first like a commitment from the club that ensures he has a permanent place in the first team in the future. In addition, he is by no means one of the top earners at €8m. His salary would probably have to be at least doubled.”
With a contract not due to expire until 2026, of course, just merely having the means of compensating the 20-year-old will only get you so far, and it’s fair to say that the Bundesliga giants will not be keen on the idea of letting a top talent leave on the cheap.
What kind of price can Liverpool expect?
If €80-100m [£69.8-87.3m] is the rough ballpark potential suitors would need to engage with to potentially land Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz in the summer, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that Liverpool may need to stump up a similar range of cash.
It’s worth bearing in mind that Jurgen Klopp’s men have already stocked up their midfield significantly over the course of the summer and appear especially keen on further bolstering it in the upcoming window with a holding midfielder.
Still, the promise of landing a ‘world-class’ (in the eyes of Julian Nagelsmann, as relayed by the Bundesliga’s official website) talent after falling short in the race for Jude Bellingham last summer could prove far too tempting to ignore. Especially if their finances can meet the demands of both player and club.
Osimen is the best choice. If need Musiala, sell Darwin to Barça.