Liverpool told Domenico Berardi price tag
As per a report by Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport via Football Italia (h/t The Mirror), Sassuolo have placed an asking price of £34million for winger Domenico Berardi amidst transfer links with Liverpool. The Italian winger impressed in Serie A this season and has caught the eye of Europe’s big boys.
The report mentions that Liverpool would have to compete with the likes of Leicester City, Inter Milan, and Lazio for his services. Berardi is currently with Italy at UEFA Euros 2020 where he is playing an important part in their starting XI. And here, we find out why the 26-year-old is an ideal signing for the Reds ahead of next season.
Potential outgoings at Liverpool
Liverpool have Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane- two of the best in the business when it comes to wide players. But apart from that, the team seems short on depth. This is evident from the fact that Mohamed Salah just missed one league game, while Mane missed only three.
While it shows Klopp’s faith in the two wingers, the aforementioned stat is a clear indicator of a lack of competition for starts in those positions. Xherdan Shaqiri has failed to win the German’s trust while Harry Wilson and Takumi Minamino were out on loan spells this season. Depth in attack is something a club like Liverpool should aim for.
Instead of adding strength in that position, some of their attackers are heavily linked with exits. Divock Origi, who has deputized on the left flank at times, Wilson, and Shaqiri are all players that can exit the club in the summer transfer window, according to Liverpool Echo.
While Minamino and Diogo Jota offer viable solutions, they are not really direct backups to anyone. Jota, when fit, has at times found himself playing in the starting XI with Roberto Firmino, Salah, and Mane. Even if he is on the bench, the Portuguese international would likely be someone to cover for Firmino as well, considering Liverpool’s lack of number 9s.
Berardi would be an exciting addition at LFC
That situation seems to be the same for Minamino. Of his handful of appearances for the Reds this season, he has not really been an out-and-out winger for the club yet. And Berardi is a player that would help Klopp in that regard. The 26-year-old winger is a regular starter for Sassuolo and even bagged an impressive 17 goals from the wings this past season.
He can compete with both Mane and Salah for starts because of his versatility. However, he is primarily a right-winger, which means he can challenge Salah down that right-hand side. That works out for Liverpool because Jota has primarily played on the left-wing throughout his career and can hence vie for minutes with Mane down that flank.
The transfer fee also does not seem overly expensive considering his age and reputation. This is one signing that the Reds should make if they are serious about competing for trophies on all four fronts. The importance of depth in attack can never be undermined.
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It motivates the players to perform at their best levels while the manager gets the option to tweak around if things aren’t working out for the club. Moreover, with the track record of Liverpool with regards to injuries this season, they would be smart to stock up on quality players like Berardi in case of a repeat next campaign.
