Liverpool told to sign ‘unbelievable’ superstar to join Wirtz as ‘high-level meeting’ takes place

Liverpool are being urged to push through the signing of a world-class striker billed as “absolutely perfect” for Arne Slot’s side, and with talks already having taken place over a swap deal involving two stars, hopes of another huge Reds raid are gathering pace.

The Reds are preparing for their Premier League title defence and on Wednesday morning learned their fixture list for the 2025/26 season. While Liverpool romped to the English league crown in Slot’s first season at the helm, they are expected to face a much sterner challenge next time around as the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal look to push the Reds even harder.

To reinforce their own hopes, Slot, alongside Richard Hughes, has been busy working on strengthening their squad in a number of key areas. While Jeremie Frimpong was a necessary signing to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, the imminent additions of both Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz should help give the reigning champions another dimension.

After those two deals are wrapped up, Liverpool are expected to turn their focus fully on the addition of a top-tier striker to bolster their ranks.

And after TEAMtalk’s transfer insider Rudy Galetti exclusively revealed on Tuesday that Liverpool have held talks over a prospective deal to bring Victor Osimhen to Anfield, the prospective move for the Nigerian goal-machine has been endorsed by talkSPORT pundit Ally McCoist.

“I think Osimhen would be absolutely perfect at somewhere like Liverpool,” McCoist stated. “I think he’d be unbelievable at Liverpool.”

Osimhen is available for transfer this summer after being told he has no future at Napoli, though despite a prolific season on loan with Galatasaray, the only concrete offers to come in for him so far are from Saudi Arabia.

All that, though, could be about to change, with Givemesport also revealing that Osimhen’s name has been mentioned in what has been described as a high-level meeting at Anfield as they decide which striker this summer to pursue.

IN-DEPTH 🔴 Ten strikers on Liverpool radar Arne Slot could turn to as Darwin Nunez upgrade

Liverpool to offer Napoli two stars as part of Victor Osimhen swap

Osimhen scored 37 goals and gave eight assists in 41 appearances while on loan at Galatasaray last season to help Okan Buruk’s side win the Turkish Super Lig and the Turkish Cup.

Described as “the best striker in the world” by Nigeria manager Eric Chelle on BBC Sport Africa earlier this week, Osimhen is the subject of interest from a number of clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid, as TEAMtalk reported on June 14.

However, Galetti is adamant that a possible move to Anfield could also be an option.

And with the Reds currently willing to sacrifice two players of interest to the Serie A champions in Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa, Galetti claims that in recent days preliminary talks have taken place between Liverpool and Napoli –  through intermediaries – to discuss a possible high-level swap.

The Reds are very much open to Nunez’s departure and are as keen to obtain as close to their £85m investment into the Uruguayan striker as possible.

While that asking price is only affordable to clubs in Saudi Arabia, the fact that the striker would prefer to continue his career in mainland Europe means the Reds may need to lower their demands.

However, with Napoli among those keen, the possibility of a swap cannot be discounted.

Per Fabrizio Romano, Chiesa has also decided to push for a move away from Anfield this summer after a frustrating debut season at Anfield. Starting just once in the Premier League and once in the Champions League, the Italy winger knows he needs regular football to ensure he is part of Italy’s squad at the 2026 World Cup finals.

Liverpool transfer latest: Julian Alvarez claims; Wirtz U-turn draws criticism

Meanwhile, Liverpool have been linked once again to Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez – and one former player is pushing Arne Slot to use a Reds star in an eye-catching swap deal for the Argentine.

Elsewhere, the Reds cannot be completely discounted from a possible move for Alexander Isak, with a respected journalist naming the price that could convince Newcastle to sell.

And finally, Wirtz’s decision to perform a U-turn on an apparent agreement to join Bayern Munich and turn his back on German football in favour of Liverpool has drawn some surprise criticism – while more details have emerged on when supporters can expect an official announcement from the Premier League champions.

Victor Osimhen’s formidable stats season to season

Victor Osimhen: Every club in the race

By Samuel Bannister

Galatasaray – While few would have predicted Galatasaray to be the club Osimhen would represent last season, fortune was on their side thanks to the Turkish transfer window being open longer than elsewhere in Europe. After scoring 37 goals from 41 games for them, it’s only natural that Galatasaray would be interested in keeping him. They would have to break their transfer record to do so, in what would be a serious statement of intent.

Arsenal – A striker is viewed almost unanimously as the missing piece Arsenal need to go from perennial Premier League runners up to champions. Gabriel Jesus missed the end of last season through injury and is no longer seen as the quality centre-forward Arsenal can rely on. However, they have other options on their wish list like Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.

Chelsea – Across London, Chelsea are similarly looking for a striker to take them to the next level compared to current options like Nicolas Jackson. Osimhen has been on their radar for a long time and is known to have affection for the Blues. This summer, they have already strengthened their strike force by bringing in Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, but he’s also a long-term option and doesn’t boast as much experience as Osimhen.

Liverpool – It’s fair to say Liverpool have set their stall out early as they look to strengthen while having the status of Premier League champions. A British-record deal to sign attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz is what they’ve mainly been focusing on, but they could become an even more frightening prospect with a better striker than Darwin Nunez, who only scored five Premier League goals towards their title win. Nunez now risks being sold this summer, paving the way for Liverpool to secure themselves an upgrade.

Manchester United – Over the past couple of years, United’s approach for their attack has been to look at the long-term, with investments in players like Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. Both of those prospects have endured difficulties making an instant impression, though. A striker with proven pedigree could be beneficial for United’s evolving attack, along with the addition of Matheus Cunha – and potentially Bryan Mbeumo – in the no.10 territory. Cunha and Mbeumo are both in their mid-20s, which may signal a change of outlook from United. However, a reunion between Ruben Amorim and Viktor Gyokeres is something else to keep an eye on.

AC Milan – After the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri, Milan are eyeing a striker to match their ambitions for a rebuild. Back in January, they signed the highly-rated Santiago Gimenez from Feyenoord, who went on to score five Serie A goals. If Milan cash in on left-winger Rafael Leao, though, they could have money to burn for a striker with a proven track record in Italian football. With no Champions League football on offer, though, it would be an uphill battle for Milan to win the race.

Juventus – The striker market is often one with moving parts and Juventus have a player who could be part of a domino effect, with Dusan Vlahovic’s future potentially up for grabs. Juventus have had eyes on Osimhen for a long time thanks to his Serie A experience and would see him as an upgrade on Vlahovic. A striker raid on Napoli would echo 2016’s signing of Gonzalo Higuain, which admittedly didn’t go fully as Juventus hoped in the end.

Paris Saint-Germain – While PSG had one of the most exciting attacks to watch on their route to winning the 2024-25 Champions League, they often relied on Ousmane Dembele as a centre-forward, despite his natural position being a winger. They are well stocked in attack, but their natural striker Goncalo Ramos only got 10 goals last season and Randal Kolo Muani moved on loan to Juventus in January, with his future unclear. Osimhen could reunite with former Napoli teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in PSG’s attack.

Real Madrid – Similarly, Real Madrid’s main striker is someone who prefers to play on the wing – not that it seemed to bother Kylian Mbappe too much during his 43-goal debut season in Spain. After the appointment of Xabi Alonso, Madrid may want to add a natural centre-forward to their options, although they would then have to work out which sides to play Mbappe and Vinicius Junior on.