Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi in action. (Getty Images)
According to Bleacher Report, Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Liverpool ahead of the summer transfer window, with the 24-year-old Italian revealing that Anfield is his dream destination as a footballer.
While Berardi is expected to have offers on the table from Serie A giants Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Roma this summer, the Italian international has expressed his desire to join Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, claiming that he would be ready to adjust to new surroundings to fulfil his dream of playing for the Reds. (h/t Bleacher Report)
Berardi has enjoyed another wonderful campaign in the Serie A with Sassuolo, contributing with 7 goals and 4 assists from 33 appearances to steer his club to 10th in the league standings.
The 24-year-old, who has 5 international caps for Italy at the senior level, is regarded as one of the nation’s brightest young prospects and has earned rave reviews for his performances at a mid-table club.
A youth product of Sassuolo, Berardi rose to prominence in 2012 when he helped his boyhood club secure promotion to the Serie A following a wonderful season in the Serie B.
Berardi contributed with 11 goals and 6 assists in his very first season to play a pivotal role in his club’s promotion-winning campaign and was named as the player of the competition in the process.
Berardi has not looked back since then and has progressed by leaps and bounds at Sassuolo, establishing himself as one of Serie A’s most prized assets.
The 24-year-old has racked up a tally of 73 goals and 50 assists from 227 appearances for Sassuolo in all competitions, currently holding the record for being the club’s top scorer.
He hasn’t been that prolific in recent seasons but his returns of 16 Serie A goals in 2013-14 followed by 15 in the 2014-15 season show that he can be a devastating presence in the final third.
A fast, agile, hardworking, technically-gifted and tactically-versatile creative player, Domenico Berardi is essentially a right-winger by trade but he is very much capable of playing in a No.10 role behind the striker, while also possessing the necessary attributes to lead the line as a centre-forward.
Primarily a left-footed player with exceptional ball control and mesmerizing dribblings skills, the 24-year-old is at his best when deployed as an inverted winger down the right, which allows him to cut inside on to his stronger left foot and have shots on goal, or link up with his teammates to create goalscoring chances.
Blessed with a wonderful eye for defence-splitting passes in the final third, Berardi not only has the ability to create space for him with but he is also adept at outsmarting the opposition with his subtle movement off the ball, tactical awareness and high footballing IQ. Moreover, he is a clinical finisher in front of goal and his work rate is also right up there with the very best in the world.
To put things into perspective, Liverpool would do themselves a world of good by striking a deal for Berardi this summer, although the 24-year-old has a contract at Sassuolo until 2022. The Reds fell agonisingly short of Man City in pursuit of their first domestic title in 28 years and they should consider bringing in a few fresh faces this summer, despite being amongst the highest spenders in the Premier League in recent times.
One area that Liverpool can look to improve is their bench. Indeed, the trio of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane is amongst the most lethal forward lines in Europe, while Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri are very useful back-ups.
However, Jurgen Klopp should try to bring in upgrades on likes of Shaqiri, Daniel Sturridge and Origi, and it is beyond doubt that someone like Domenico Berardi can increase competition for places in the attacking ranks at Anfield and provide much-needed cover for the regular starters.
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Also, Berardi is far more creative as compared to Shaqiri and Origi, and given that Liverpool have lacked a natural No.10 in their ranks following the departure of Philippe Coutinho, the Italian can be a picture-perfect signing for the club. That said, Liverpool should come up with a positive response to Berardi’s plea and try to negotiate a deal for him.