Liverpool chief Michael Edwards may have secret weapon in Raphinha transfer battle

Transfer news: Who could be on the move this summer?

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Liverpool are widely reported to be keen on signing Leeds United winger Raphinha ahead of next season, with Jurgen Klopp eager to add to his attacking ranks in order to mount a renewed Premier League title challenge. Club director Michael Edwards will be tasked with leading the Merseyside outfit’s transfer business once again this summer and has already brokered the £36million capture of Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig.

The French defender is unlikely to be Liverpool’s only addition over the next few months, with the Reds able to benefit from further investment in a number of problem areas.

The departure of Georginio Wijnaldum, who appears poised to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, has left the club with big shoes to fill in the middle of the park.

Meanwhile, there have been growing suggestions that Liverpool could look to reshuffle their established front three after a largely uninspiring campaign in front of goal.

Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have seen their respective futures go under the microscope after struggling to live up to expectations over the course of this season, while Mohamed Salah has been the subject of a host of rumours linking him with Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The Egyptian winger has consistently refused to rule out a move to Spain before the end of his career, which suggests that he may decide to call time on his Anfield spell in the near future.

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Liverpool signed Diogo Jota from Wolves last summer in order to strengthen their attacking options, and it seems as though they could be looking to raid another Premier League rival this time around for the same purpose.

Raphinha has been heavily linked with the Reds and both Manchester clubs after a mightily impressive debut campaign at Leeds, with the Brazilian winger providing six goals and nine assists to help the Yorkshire club seal a top-half finish.

If last season’s Premier League champions decide to pursue a move for the 24-year-old, they could be inclined to use Harry Wilson as a bargaining chip to swing proceedings in their favour.

The latter is said to be a target for Leeds, who have entered into talks with Liverpool over the possibility of bringing him to Elland Road, according to Mercado Ingles.

Wilson has returned to Merseyside after the conclusion of his season-long loan deal at Cardiff City and has been tipped to join the Whites after failing to convince Klopp of his first-team capabilities.

The move has the potential to suit all parties if Edwards can negotiate the switch as a player-plus-cash deal for Raphinha.

Liverpool would be getting a top-class operator with the ability to thrive at Anfield for a number of seasons to come, while Leeds could benefit from the arrival of Wilson, who was strongly linked with the club a year ago.

However, former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell recently suggested that Raphinha may decide to snub a move to avoid the prospect of warming the bench on a regular basis.

“A lot of the bigger clubs might want him but the possibility of him playing is very, very low,” the 51-year-old told Football Insider.

“What’s the point of going to sit on a bench somewhere? It makes no sense. The fact of the matter is he will get an opportunity to play at Leeds.

“You’d like to think he will go where the appearances are as opposed to going where the money is. He could easily find himself sitting on the bench at Liverpool or City even though he is an incredibly talented player.”

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