Liverpool are reportedly willing to meet the asking price required to sign Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio, according to TuttoMercatoWeb.
Now into the final 12 months of his contract at the Bernabeu (Transfermarkt), the 26-year-old is facing an uncertain future with the La Liga champions.
Despite once being tipped for Ballon d’Or greatness, he has somewhat flattered to deceive at the elite level after his remarkable rise to stardom, which included a sensational hat-trick for Spain in the European Under-21 Championships, having been blighted by numerous injury woes.
However, those issues have not deterred a litany of prospective suitors, with plenty of Premier League admiration forthcoming…
As per TuttoMercatoWeb, translated by Sport Witness, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Arsenal are all prepared to spend the required fee to sign Asensio this summer.
It is claimed that AC Milan will struggle to meet the €25m-€30m (£21m-£25m) asking price for the 29-cap Spain international.
The report added that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is ‘in a hurry’ to resolve the future of the 26-year-old, who was recently hailed as possessing ‘great quality’ by his manager Carlo Ancelotti.
The Spaniard may not arrive as an immediate first choice in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, but following the departures of Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi, the Reds are short of senior attacking alternatives, and Asensio would therefore be a smart addition.
Predominantly operating as a right winger and therefore a potential backup for Mohamed Salah in the Anfield ranks, last season the multi-dimensional attacker – who can play across a plethora of forward positions – scored 12 times and provided two assists in 42 appearances across all competitions, signifying a return to something like peak form and fitness.
Now back amongst the international fold having been omitted since 2020, the balletic Spaniard earned a stellar 7.07 Sofascore rating during the 2021/22 whilst finding the target with 1.1 shots per game and successfully completing 68% of his dribble attempts in La Liga.
Still holding a market value of £36m, signing Asensio – who shares similar stylistic traits with such renowned names as Riyad Mahrez, Son Heung-min and former Kop favourite Sadio Mane (FbRef) – for anything close to the mooted fee would be a shrewd move from Julian Ward.
