Liverpool Reportedly Optimistic of Signing Wolves’ £35M-Rated Diogo Jota

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The Portuguese forward is said to be the target as the Reds seek to strengthen their attack.

In the midst of a day that sees Thiago Alcantara completing his move to Liverpool while Ki-Jana Hoever moves to Wolverhampton Wanderers, there’s more news on the transfer front for Liverpool fans to track with word the club may be closing on a deal for Diogo Jota.

Rather suddenly today, Wolves’ 23-year-old Portuguese forward was linked to the club by the likes of The Times’ Paul Joyce and The Mail’s Dominic King—the latter setting him out as an alternative to Watford’s Ismaila Sarr. Those links were fortified by The Independent’s Melissa Reddy saying Liverpool were “optimistic” of completing a deal.

Since then, news has moved quickly, with European transfer trackers like Fabrizio Romano claiming personal terms have been agreed with the player while the clubs hash out a fee and local Wolves reporter Tim Spiers saying a fee in excess of £35M is in the works.

Menawhile, yesterday’s talk of Sarr as an option has receded, paired with suggestions that while he was seriously considered the price that Watford wanted for him in the end was too high—while presumably a fee totalling a little more than £35M including all add-ons for Jota would not be.

Regardless if the deal now gets over the line, it’s been clear ever since the club lined up Timo Werner that a player who could rotate with and potentially one day usurp the likes of Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah in the front line was a priority—even if some fans worried when Werner refused to wait on the club and headed to Chelsea instead.

The uncertainty caused by coronavirus may have made it difficult to complete Werner’s deal at the start of the summer, but it has been clear for some time that the club has always wanted to make signings—with a 22- to 24-year-old forward a priority.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com