Kaoru Mitoma OPENS door to Liverpool transfer

Kaoru Mitoma has seemingly opened the door for interested parties to make a move for him this summer after the latest reports.

Liverpool are interested in a left-winger as they looked to reshape the club's forward line. During the last January transfer window the Reds even tentatively explored a move for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

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That move fell through with the Georgian opting to join Paris Saint Germain, but the Reds' interest in a left-winger has remained. Last summer that saw Richard Hughes pursue an unlikely move for Anthony Gordon, which was rebuffed by Newcastle United.

This time around Hughes will be looking at alternative options. However, the priority will be to offload the club's current attackers first and foremost.

That could result in a massive overhaul as Anfield Watch exclusively revealed, with the likes of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota all up for sale.

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This is where Kaoru Mitoma could come in. The Japanese winger rejected a lucrative move to Al-Nassr earlier this year. However, his future at Brighton remains uncertain.

Mitoma opens door to Liverpool transfer

According to The Athletic Kaoru Mitoma's future is up in the air with no active discussions taking place to extend his current deal which expires in 2027.

A previous report has claimed that Mitoma is considering his future with his dream to play Champions League football.

This Athletic report backs this up by claiming that the chances of Mitoma leaving will increase if Brighton do not qualify for European football, which is a massive development when it comes to one of the league's most exciting players.

TEAMtalk report that Brighton would demand €93m (£80m) to sign Mitoma and that the Reds have been given the green light to make a move for him.

It pretty much opens the doors wide open for Mitoma to make a move to a club like Liverpool this summer, who have had him on their radar since his J.League days.

In a book titled How to Win the Premier League: The Inside Story of Football’s Data Revolution written by Ian Graham, Liverpool's former director of research revealed that one of his biggest regrets is not pushing harder to sign Mitoma while he was playing in Japan.

“Kaoru Mitoma was the best player in Japan, rating above the Premier League average. It was very rare for us to rate a player in Japan anywhere near Premier League level," Graham wrote.

“It’s still a source of regret to me that I didn’t insist that Mitoma be more seriously considered as a potential Liverpool signing.”

Mitoma has since continued to be linked with a move to Liverpool. Now would be the perfect time for Liverpool to make a move.

Even in an inconsistent Brighton side, Mitoma has still delivered this season, making 10 goal contributions in the Premier League.

He has an exquisite technique that makes him a pure joy to watch with the way he controls the ball and manipulates it with his footwork.

This season Arne Slot's men have lacked a player who can beat defenders one vs one and create open spaces, particularly against low defensive blocks.

Mitoma is exactly that type of player, he thrives in those tight spaces and weaving his way around one or two defenders.

On top of that, he's got a brilliant work-rate off the ball, and ranks in the 93rd percentile for tackles won in the opposition's final third as per FBref. In total, no attacker in the league has won more tackles (15) than Mitoma.

People will raise his as a concern because he is going to turn 28-years-old at the end of the season. But this should not be a concern.

Mitoma started his professional career at 22-years-old after he graduated from Tsukuba University in Japan. He's not been loaded with a lot of minutes throughout his six-year career so far, which means he should be able to continue to play at the pinnacle of his game for the next four to five years at the very least.

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This is a move Liverpool will keep a close eye on and if Mitoma does become available for the right price it would not be a surprise to see Hughes pounce.