Liverpool given £25m deal to sign 'absolute MASTER'

Liverpool have a deal available to sign an 'absolute master'. Now will Richard Hughes take it?

Liverpool will be busy in 2025. A lot busier than they were in 2024, certainly.

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Richard Hughes didn't have to do all that much in his debut year as sporting director. The Reds only actually signed one player for the first team: Federico Chiesa.

And even that was a signing that now seems more opportunistic than anything. The Italian has barely featured this season, playing a little over 30 minutes in the Premier League.

Giorgi Mamardashvili did arrive from Valencia. Well, he was signed from Valencia - he hasn't arrived yet. The goalkeeper is still on loan there but is in line to join up with Liverpool once this season comes to a close.

A failed move for Martin Zubimendi was the only other incoming 'business'. Hughes was unfortunate there, though, as the deal was all but done before the Spaniard decided he wanted to remain with Real Sociedad.

This summer will be different and Hughes essentially must bring new blood into the squad. Doing that en masse is a financial challenge, however, and one that means the sporting director will be on the look out for bargain deals.

And there might just be one in France.

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Liverpool and Rayan Cherki

Rayan Cherki has exploded into form this season, scoring 12 times across all competitions as Lyon's chief playmaker. In Ligue 1 alone, he’s got eight goals and nine assists in what’s been a breakout campaign.

Cherki has always been known as an immensely talented player but one who wasn't quite putting it altogether. That's changed this season and clubs are lining up to take him off Lyon's hands.

They'll almost certainly sell this summer and, in fact, Cherki has a verbal agreement with the club to leave for £25m. That's an absolute steal for one of Europe's most talented attacking midfielders. One who's still only 21, too.

And Liverpool are apparently one of the clubs looking at Cherki. The Daily Mail explains how the Reds are in the mix, potentially seeing that fee as the right kind of business this summer.

They'd be getting a fantastic player, too. Ainsley Maintland-Niles, who joined Lyon in 2023, has been raving about his teammate.

"He's the greatest natural talent I've ever seen," Maitland-Niles told the BBC. "An absolute master, a magician with the ball.

"He takes risks, makes assists and brings us up the pitch by taking people on and pushing them to the limit - he's a genius."

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That's the kind of player Liverpool are hoping to add this summer. And at £25m, it's a deal Hughes may struggle to pass up.