The Bayer Leverkusen ace could be a better long-term investment for Liverpool than the Lille winger.
Liverpool were quite simply brilliant last season, but that doesn’t mean that Jurgen Klopp will not be on the look-out for special kinds of reinforcements this summer.
One area where the German might want to improve is his attacking department with more top quality competition required for Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, especially with Daniel Sturrudge having left the club.
Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move for Nicolas Pepe, with French publication L’Equipe claiming that Jurgen Klopp is a big fan of the £80 million-rated winger.
That is a serious amount of cash to pay for the Lille ace, however, and perhaps the Reds should look elsewhere.
And with this in mind, Liverpool should consider making a move for Bayer Leverkusen ace Leon Bailey instead.
According to the Daily Star, the 21-year-old is valued at £60 million by Leverkusen, and the Mirror claims that the Merseyside outfit actually wanted to sign him last summer.
The Jamaica international possesses absolutely blistering pace, and plays with a certain kind of directness that would see him slot perfectly into Klopp’s setup at Anfield.
Bailey has that real X-factor that could set Anfield alight next season, and the fact that he is a left-footed left winger would give Klopp an entirely different option in the final third.
The Leverkusen ace likes to beat his opponents before crossing into the box, rather than to cut back inside, and that is something that Liverpool do not currently have in wide areas.
The only real concern for the Reds would be Bailey’s fairly underwhelming numbers. He has racked up just 32 goals and 33 assists in 160 appearances in all competitions, whilst Pepe has recorded 47 goals and 21 assists in 156 outings.
The Jamaican is three years younger than the Ivorian, however, and it could be argued that he has the ability and potential to become a much better player than the Lille ace.
He would also be cheaper than Pepe, and Liverpool should think long and hard about signing the Leverkusen winger instead.
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