24-year-old Japanese playmaker Takumi Minamino is reportedly set to undergo a medical at Liverpool ahead of a move in the January transfer window.
According to a report by Sky Sports, Takumi Minamino is pencilled in to undergo a medical at Liverpool this week. The 24-year-old Japanese playmaker is set to join the Premier League heavyweights from Red Bull Salzburg when the January transfer window opens next month.
Minamino joined Red Bull Salzburg from Cerezo Osaka in January 2015 and has made steady progress over the last four years at the club. Always a consistent contributor at Red Bull Arena, the 24-year-old is enjoying the best season of his career till date with the Austrian giants.
In 22 appearances across all competitions, Minamino has a stellar return of 9 goals and 11 assists. In fact, no player assisted more goals from open play in the Champions League than the Japanese playmaker. His exploits have invariably piqued the interest of some of the biggest clubs in the world, with Liverpool set to prevail in the race to sign the player.
Liverpool have been on quite a roll this term, having been beaten just twice in all competitions in the current season. However, with Adam Lallana being primed to depart from Anfield on a free transfer next summer, the Reds are in need of bolstering their options.
Minamino’s style of play is similar to how Lallana operated during his peak years at Liverpool, although he is comfortable of reprising various roles in attack and midfield. The playmaker’s acquisition could enable Klopp to field a 4-2-3-1 formation while also giving him enough options to rotate his troops more effortlessly, having shown a tendency to shuffle his pack amid a busy season.
Minamino is understood to have a medical scheduled at Liverpool, pending which a January transfer will be on the verge of being finalised. It is believed the 24-year-old has already played for the final time for Red Bull Salzburg, while Liverpool have been negotiating over a January move for the player, who has a £7.25 million release clause.
With a medical pencilled in, a January move for Minamino appears to be but a formality. A meagre transfer fee makes it a potential bargain for Liverpool and it will be interesting to see if the Japanese international can make a smooth transition from Salzburg to Liverpool.
