Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Colombian goalscorer Duvan Zapata who is valued at €60 million by Serie A outfit Atalanta.
According to a report from Spanish publication Todo Fichajes, reigning Premier League champions Liverpool have set their sights on Atalanta BC centre-forward Duvan Zapata as they look to bolster their attacking unit in the summer.
Zapata spent the early parts of his career at CD America de Cali and Estudiantes before making the switch to Europe when he signed for Napoli in 2013. After two years with the Partenopei, the 29-year-old enjoyed loan stints away at Udinese and Sampdoria before moving to Atalanta in the summer of 2018.
Since joining La Dea, the Colombian international has been a consistent and prolific goalscorer with 60 goals from 113 matches so far. Zapata has enjoyed a solid 2020/21 campaign thus far, bagging 13 goals and 10 assists from 32 games in all competitions, in the process, helping Atalanta to the Round of 16 stages of the Champions League.
Now, Zapata has emerged as a potential target for Liverpool, heading into the summer transfer window. The Reds are looking to bolster their attacking unit ahead of the next season, as per the report and the Atalanta striker has been on their radars for quite some time now. And this might be the year when they finally push to sign him.
As things stand, Liverpool have plenty of options in attack, with the likes Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino as well as summer signing Diogo Jota. However, Firmino has been going through a lean patch in front of goal while Origi has failed to kick on after his Champions League heroics a couple of years ago.
Minamino being loaned out to Southampton in the January transfer window indicates that he is not a major part of Jurgen Klopp’s plans either. Thus, bolstering their attack in the summer, with a consistent goalscorer who can push Firmino for the starting berth would make sense, making Zapata a viable target.
Zapata is contracted with Atalanta till the summer of 2023, with the Serie A outfit valuing their reliable striker at €60 million. Apart from Zapata, the Reds are also keeping tabs on the situation of Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri as well. It remains to be seen whether they push to sign a new forward in the summer given that a defender could be high on the priority list for Klopp.
