Liverpool planning bid for £60m star who could be their next Jota

Liverpool remain top of the Premier League table, albeit their advantage isn’t looking quite as healthy as it did a week or so ago.

On Saturday, after falling behind inside 11 minutes, and then seeing Andy Robertson sent off not long after, the Reds actually did remarkably well to hold Fulham to a 2-2 draw at Anfield, twice equalising in front of the Kop, with Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota the scorers.

This is only the fourth time in any competition that Liverpool have failed to win a match since Arne Slot’s arrival on Merseyside, but means they’re now a mere two points clear of in-form Chelsea, albeit with a game in hand.

So, as the Reds go in search of a record-equaling 20th English top-flight title in 2025, could the addition of another forward help push them over the line?

Liverpool preparing bid for new forward

According to a report from Caught Offside, Liverpool, as well as both Arsenal and Manchester City, are all interested in signing Brighton forward Joao Pedro, purportedly prepared to bid up to £54m.

The Brazilian began his career at Fluminense, having joined the Rio de Janeiro-based giants as a ten-year-old, before departing for Watford in 2020, scoring 24 goals in 109 appearances for the Hornets.

These are far from outstanding statistics, but he certainly did enough to attract the attention of those on the South Coast during his time in Hertfordshire because, in the summer of 2023, he moved to Brighton for a club-record £30m.

During his first season with the Seagulls, Pedro scored an impressive 20 goals across all competitions, including six in six in the Europa League, the club’s maiden voyage into continental competition, most notably this famous last-gasp winner when Olympique de Marseille visited Sussex, a strike that booked Brighton’s place in the round of 16.

How much Joao Pedro may cost Liverpool

So far this campaign, Pedro’s impact has been limited by an ankle injury, seeing just 43 minutes of Premier League action between 31 August and 23 November, but he’s still scored four times, goals that have directly added seven points to the Seagulls’ tally.

Having now started five successive matches, Fabian Hürzeler clearly values the Brazilian as an important player, hence why Brighton allegedly value him at around £60m according to the aforementioned report.

Brighton certainly know how to get a good fee for a high-quality, in-demand player: Moisés Caicedo (£115m), Marc Cucurella (£62m), Ben White (£50m), Alexis Mac Allister (£35m) and Yves Bissouma (£25m) are all recent examples from the past three years of the Seagulls’ strong negotiating powers, with all of this quintet sold to so-called “big six” Premier League outfits.

So, if Pedro does depart the South Coast in 2025, you can bet your bottom dollar it’s going to be for a sky-high fee.

How Joao Pedro would improve Liverpool’s forward line

Arne Slot already has an array of high-quality forwards at his disposal, namely Mohamed Salah, who is in ongoing contract negotiations, as well as Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Gakpo, Jota and summer recruit Federico Chiesa, who’s made little impact so far due to injury.

Described as an “insane dribbler” by data analyst Ben Mattinson, how does Pedro compare to the Reds’ five main attacking options?

Well, playing in that hybrid role between being a centre-forward and a number 10, just like Jota has done at Anfield, he stacks up pretty well in comparison.

To the surprise of no one, Salah ranks the best in pretty much every attacking metric; you didn’t need a gigantic table full of numbers to tell you he’s good did you?

However, when compared to the other forwards, Pedro is on par with most, ranking highest for goals per 90, while boasting an xG figure superior to both Jota and Gakpo.

Slot has been chopping and changing his centre-forwards this season, particularly since Jota suffered a rib injury against Chelsea in mid-October, with Díaz often getting the nod over Nunez, most notably for the 4-0 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen, in which the Colombian bagged a second half hat-trick.

Meantime, Gakpo has primarily been deployed in his preferred position out-wide, believing he is “more dangerous” under Slot, claiming the manager told him that left-wing “is going to be your position”, having been predominantly deployed centrally by Jürgen Klopp.

So, with Jota having missed 59 matches due to injury since the start of the 22/23 season, and Nunez not living up to the sky-high expectations set by his club-record £85m price tag, the Uruguayan having scored just 36 goals in 116 outings to date, central striker does remain a position of need and Pedro’s numbers suggest he could be a fantastic addition if the Reds are willing to cough up a huge fee for his services.