
Liverpool
Premier League • England
Liverpool turn to Serie A speed merchant as Alexander-Arnold heir as report talks up €25m January move

Liverpool have looked at Michael Kayode as a possible replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool are reported to have added Fiorentina defender Michael Kayode to their list of targets to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold amid claims of a €25m January bid and with the Italy Under-21 international having been compared favourably to Kyle Walker.
The Reds vice-captain falls out of contract on June 30 next year and will be allowed to speak to interested overseas suitors from January 1. Given his importance to Arne Slot and Liverpool, though, they remain determined and focused on tying the 26-year-old homegrown star to a new contract.
However, links to Real Madrid have grown louder in recent weeks and many feel the lure of a move to the reigning European champions will prove impossible to resist.
As a result, the Reds are wisely keeping their eyes on the market for would-be successors to Alexander-Arnold. Two Dutch stars Denzel Dumfries and Jeremie Frimpong have already been strongly linked.
However, il Corriere dello Sport claims Reds sporting director Richard Hughes has now added Italian full-back Kayode to his list of options and claims they have been encouraged by the fact that Kayode would be allowed to leave if an offer of €25m (£20.9m, $27.1m) arrives for his services.
As a result, it’s now claimed the Reds are giving firm thoughts to a January move and with La Viola unlikely to stand in the player’s way, despite the pacy defender falling down their pecking order this season and having been limited to just two appearances.
The Reds are not the first Premier League side to have taken notice of his performances; he was reportedly the subject of an offer from Tottenham over the summer, while the three-times capped Italy Under-21 star has also been linked with Aston Villa in recent months.
Liverpool focus on renewing Alexander-Arnold; Kayode likened to Kyle Walker
At this stage, Liverpool’s primary focus remains on renewing Alexander-Arnold’s contract and sources have told us there remains a calmness and confidence at Anfield that an extension will soon be agreed for the 26-year-old.
Furthermore, trusted transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has also spoken out to deny talk that the player has already agreed a move to the Bernabeu, insisting his priority remains on signing an extension at Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold himself has also hinted at his wish to hang around, telling the media after a recent win over Bournemouth: “I have always said I want to captain the club. That is a goal of mine, whether that happens is out of my hands.
“I want to be a Liverpool player this season (as a minimum) is what I will say.”
Asked what could influence that decision, he added: “The most important thing is always trophies. I want to win trophies.”
While sources have confirmed Liverpool are indeed doing their due diligence on a prospective new right-back signing, it’s too early at this stage to say whether Kayode has come onto their radar.
And while Liverpool have a history of making superstars rather than signing them, we understand a deal for Frimpong – who still has a €40m clause in his Bayer Leverkusen contract that will become active again next summer – would represent a far more attractive option to them at this stage than the €25m Fiorentina are seeking for the less experienced Kayode.
The player, though, has drawn some comparisons with Kyle Walker for both his acceleration and for the style in which he defends, with football analytics outlet Breaking The Lines having this to say.
“Most of the time, Kayode’s positioning is intelligent, but when he jumps out too quickly, he can get caught in behind.
“Luckily, his top recovery pace and athleticism give him an extra tool up his sleeve to stop counters, similar to City right-back Kyle Walker.”
Latest Liverpool transfer news: Salah upgrade eyed / Sevilla defender targeted
Meanwhile, the Reds are being linked with a fresh move to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush with the Bundesliga side setting their price and amid claims the Egyptian will be “even better” than Mo Salah at Anfield.
Succession planning seems to be the buzzphrase around Anfield ever since Liverpool future-proved their goalkeeping situation by striking a deal to sign Girgi Mamardashvili over the summer.
And as well as an heir to Salah, new reports in Spain claim Hughes has also identified a classy Sevilla defender as the successor to Virgil van Dijk, with the Reds reported to have successfully fended off Bayern Munich to agree a deal.
Elsewhere, Liverpool have been backed to make a renewed push to sign Martin Zubimendi if the midfielder pushes to leave Real Sociedad in January.
Who is Michael Kayode?
He may still only be 20 years old, but Michael Kayode has been building up his reputation at senior level for over a year now and seamlessly slotted into Fiorentina’s first team.
Born in the Piedmont region of Italy, he developed in the Juventus academy until the age of 14, before he took what he described as ‘a step backwards to make two forwards’ when moving to Gozzano, a club that used him regularly in Serie D despite him only being 16 years old in his debut season.
His ambition to bounce back towards the radar of Serie A sides was fulfilled when Fiorentina acquired him at the end of that season, which had included 34 appearances and two goals. La Viola put Kayode in their academy and by the end of his first season, he had helped them win the Coppa Italia Primavera and Supercoppa Primavera under the guidance of former Liverpool and Fiorentina midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
Aquilani nurtured Kayode and Fiorentina’s other top youth prospects for another season before his departure to step into senior coaching elsewhere in the summer of 2023. It was also time for Kayode to step up to senior level – and he would get to do so in Florence.
Kayode was launched into the first team in August 2023 by Vincenzo Italiano. In fact, for Fiorentina’s first Serie A match, the right-back went straight into the starting lineup. Kayode rarely looked back.
Kayode completed his debut season with Fiorentina with 37 appearances to his name, some of which were in the Europa Conference League (although he was an unused substitute in the final).
At international level, Kayode is intent on representing Italy, despite also being eligible for Nigeria. Luciano Spalletti has already called him up, but due to injury, Kayode is yet to make his senior debut. He remains active at under-21 level for his country, having previously scored the winner in the final of the U19 Euros in 2023.
As a player, Kayode is confident under pressure and excels in individual battles. Although a good passer of the ball, he is a more defensive type of full-back than, say, Alexander-Arnold, and makes good use of his awareness to track opponents he can mark.
He is well on the rise and, if joining Fiorentina was just a single step forward to make up for lost ground, it might not be too long until he makes that second one he has been mapping out all along by progressing to an even higher level than the seemingly perennial Conference League contenders.