Liverpool are eyeing a move for Saint-Etienne youngster Saidou Sow as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his squad ahead of next season.
What’s the word?
That’s according to French news outlet L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), which claimed that the Reds are keen on the 19-year-old and even sent scouts to watch him on international duty for Guinea.
Sow is under contract until 2025 and is just getting back to match fitness, having suffered an ankle injury since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
As per the report, the teenager has lost some of his market value since the start of the year but remains one of the club’s most bankable assets.
He’s an upgrade on Gomez
Despite already having defenders of the calibre of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip, Jurgen Klopp appears to be on the lookout for the next big talent or someone who could learn from some of the best in the Premier League.
There could be a need for some defensive reinforcements to come into the squad, though, especially with the future of Joe Gomez remaining uncertain going into the summer.
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Before the Africa Cup of Nations this year, Sow was included in a list of “ones to watch” from WhoScored. Comparing his statistics from 2021/22 with Gomez, there is a case to be made that he could be a big upgrade on the Englishman.
Sow offers a bigger goalscoring threat, having netted twice for Saint-Etienne last season, with Gomez not scoring at all, as both players registered one assist.
Sow completed 83.6% of his passes in Ligue 1, with Gomez completing 79.7% in the Premier League. This shows that the Saint-Etienne youngster is good at playing out from the back and would likely fit into Klopp’s system with ease.
The Guinea international also won more tackles (15 to four), made more blocks (18 to three) and made more than double the number of interceptions (29 to 12) compared to Gomez, although he did play in five more league matches than the Liverpool defender.
These figures suggest that Sow has the defensive attributes to excel in England, and alongside one of the world's best players in Van Dijk, he could become one of the best in the Premier League further down the line.