Liverpool had €35m January bid for Chukwueze rejected

Villarreal rejected Liverpool’s €35 million bid for Samuel Chukwueze in January, according to France Football.

The Reds signed Takumi Minamino from Salzburg last month, but that apparently wasn’t the only attempted piece of January transfer business.

Liverpool were reportedly keen on the idea of adding Chukwueze to their squad, too, but Villarreal stood firm and rejected their advances.

The La Liga side are looking for a figure nearer €65 million for the 20-year-old winger.

Read Liverpool Verdict

I think Chukwueze would have been a shrewd addition, had Liverpool got a deal over the line.

The Nigerian would have added depth to the squad, taking some of the workload off the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane during the second half of the season.

I also don’t believe he would have been expecting to play every week, much like Minamino for the time being, making for an ideal scenario.

A left-footed wide man with an ability to cut inside from the right-hand side, like Salah, Chukwueze is still raw, as his numbers this season show.

He has scored just three goals and registered one assist in 22 league appearances, going to show that he can still work on his end product.

There is undeniable potential with Chukwueze, however, and it will be interesting to see if Liverpool make an improved summer bid.

He could face similar issues to Salah and Mane next January, however, due to his likely involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations.

That could be a negative against signing him, in my opinion, with Jurgen Klopp possibly keen on bringing in someone who is going to be available during that period.