Liverpool are eyeing up a summer swoop for Red Bull Salzburg youngster Luka Sucic as Jurgen Klopp looks to rejuvenate his midfield ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
What’s the latest on Luka Sucic to Liverpool?
According to Football Transfers, the Anfield giants have Sucic as one of their targets for the summer transfer window, with internal conversations held regarding the possibility of bringing the 20-year-old to the club ahead of next term.
The Croatian midfielder has been on Klopp’s mind for a while, with the Reds linked with a potential move for him last summer, believing that he could develop into an elite prospect.
He is valued at €19.4m (£17m) by Football Transfers, but the Premier League club have been informed that his release clause could be anywhere between €15m and €20m (£13.3m-£17.8m), although this has yet to be confirmed.
Could Liverpool uncover the next Luka Modric in Sucic?
There’s no denying that the youngster looks capable of becoming the natural heir to Modric, especially with his recent development and the fact that he already has four caps for his country aged just 20. He even made his national team debut a year younger than the Real Madrid star, further demonstrating just how highly he is rated in his homeland.
Modric is now 37, with the 2022 World Cup likely to be his last appearance on the global stage. Croatia will be looking for an heir to the great man’s throne, and Sucic certainly fits the bill.
Indeed, this season the two midfielders have registered similar statistics with regard to goal contributions (four to six, Sucic first), total shots (23 each), tackles won (seven to five), and crosses (28 to 46).
With the two Croatians also sharing similar numbers when it comes to key passes per game (1.6 to 1.3, Sucic first) and creating big chances (five to seven), it is quite clear that Sucic shares Modric’s attacking nous and ability to create plenty of chances for team-mates.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig described the Salzburg sensation as a “joy to watch” while also declaring that the 20-year-old is a “superb midfielder”. With that in mind, Klopp could land the next big thing in the Croatian game, and a move to Liverpool would draw parallels with the early stages of Modric’s career.
He signed for a Premier League club in Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for £15m when he was just 22 and enjoyed a sparkling four-year stint in London, scoring 17 goals and registering 25 assists in 160 matches.
Spurs made a profit by selling him to Madrid in 2012, since when he has blossomed into one of the finest midfielders of his generation. Sucic appears to have the talent to follow in his compatriot’s footsteps, and a move to Liverpool might hopefully be the first stage of what could be a wonderful career amongst Europe’s elite.