Xavi Simons could be Arne Slot's PERFECT first Liverpool signing

Incoming Liverpool manager Arne Slot could be presented with the opportunity for the perfect first summer signing with reports in France claiming Xavi Simons will not be returning to Paris Saint-Germain.

The talented midfielder has enjoyed a fine season on loan at Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig to date, scoring nine as well as registering 13 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions. However, with the 21-year-old's spell in Germany set to come to an end soon, attentions have turned to where he will be plying his trade in the 2024/25 campaign.

According to RMC Sport, Simons is not very motivated by the idea of ​​continuing in the French capital and therefore PSG and Leipzig will enter negotiations with the view of turning the loan deal into a permanent transfer. With that said, other Premier League clubs are said to be interested in the Netherlands international and this feels like a window of opportunity for Liverpool.

The Reds have previously been linked with Simons, most notably during his breakout season with PSV Eindhoven last year where he was a teammate of Cody Gakpo, as Jurgen Klopp sought a versatile attacker to replace Roberto Firmino.

Fast forward a year and amid reports of Simons potentially being back on the market, we have assessed why it would be a perfect deal for the Anfield hierarchy - lead by new sporting director Richard Hughes -  to pursue and continue the club's midfield overhaul.

Goal contributions

Liverpool don't usually struggle to score goals, but recently finding the back of the net was an issue especially when taking games against Crystal Palace and Everton into consideration as failing to score in both games has ultimately been the reason for slipping out of contention in the Premier League title race.

Simons has shown over the past two seasons that he's got a keen eye for goal. As mentioned above he already has 18 goal involvements in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig and last term he registered 19 goals and eight assists for PSV.

Dutch connection

Not only is Liverpool's next manager Dutch - and likely a portion of the new backroom team too -  but there is a growing Netherlands connection within the squad when you consider captain Virgil van Dijk, Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch are already on board and could perhaps play a key role in persuading Simons to make the move to Anfield.

For any player moving abroad it's important to have familiar faces around to ensure the settling in process goes smoothly and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the aforementioned trio take Simons under their wing should a deal materialise.

Furthermore, Simons and Gakpo struck up a devastating partnership at PSV during the first half of last season so to see the pair reunited in the red of Liverpool would give supporters plenty of reasons to be excited.

How Simons could fit in under Slot

As Slot mostly deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, it's feasible that Simons could operate as the central attacking midfielder behind the striker thus freeing up Gakpo to play further forward as the Liverpool no.18 hasn't always looked comfortable when tasked with such a role.

Alternatively, Simons can also play on either flank in a 4-3-3 system thus allowing the Reds to upgrade in the wing areas and provide serious competition to the likes of Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz. Of course, as he's contracted to PSG for another three years it may take a large fee to reach an agreement, but all signs point towards a deal being worthwhile.