Liverpool “interested” in World Cup hero wanted by PSG

It is clear that, this summer, one of Liverpool's main priorities has to be to bolster their attack. The Reds' record goal-scorer of modern times Mohamed Salah, and third overall, has departed as a free agent, while Hugo Ekitkié, last season's most dangerous attacker, will miss the vast majority of the upcoming campaign due to an horrific knee injury.

Víctor Muñoz has joined from Osasuna for a reported fee of £34.5 million, but plenty more is needed. So, could the Reds make a move for one of Muñoz's international teammates, who also became a World Cup winner on Sunday in New Jersey?

As reported by Loïc Tanzi of L'Équipe, Liverpool are "interested" in signing World Cup Final match-winner Ferran Torres from Barcelona. The forward has just 12 months remaining on his contract in Catalonia, so is forecast to be available at a low price, with Paris Saint-Germain also monitoring the situation. Luis Enrique is purportedly a big fan of the 26 year old, with the Ligue 1 champions searching for an attacker to replace Gonçalo Ramos, who has joined AC Milan for £60 million.

An F Torres in attack is of course something Liverpool fans are accustomed to. While he may not be quite as good as namesake Fernando was in his prime, he could be a useful addition. A former Manchester City player of course, will he follow in a long line of players to play for both, after Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Anelka, Mario Balotelli, Robbie Fowler, James Milner, Steve McManaman, Daniel Sturridge, Kolo Touré and many, many more?

What Ferran Torres would bring to Liverpool

First and foremost, Torres will currently be on the high of all highs, having lashed home the winner in the World Cup Final that saw Spain defeat Argentina at MetLife Stadium.

It was fitting that, in a team lacking any true superstars, it was the often maligned forward who got the goal, etching his name into footballing history. That was his 25th goal for la Roja in just 65 caps, a pretty impressive ratio, netting at least once at four successive major tournaments.

At club level meantime, Torres had predominantly been seen as a right winger up until recently, but has thrived as a centre-forward at Barcelona. His performances were so impressive that he was often keeping Robert Lewandowski out of the team, the veteran Polish legend having now departed for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.

Ferran Torres statistics by season

Note: All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.

Last season was, by some distance, the best campaign of Torres' career, netting 21 times across all competitions, two more than the previous year. This included a La Liga hat-trick against Real Betis at Estadio de La Cartuja during a madcap 5-3 victory last December.

While Hansi Flick's first-choice front three was Raphinha, Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal, with Marcus Rashford thrown in there too, Torres was able to deputise in all three forward positions. As alluded to, he was most commonly deployed at centre-forward, as the 37 year old Polish international was phased out, but also started matches on both flanks as well.

This versatility is surely a key reason why PSG, Liverpool and others hold a strong interested in his signature. The Reds need someone to fill Salah's void on the right-hand-side, whether Torres is up to that standard is debatable, as well as requiring a back-up to Isak at centre-forward, until Ekitiké returns. Thus, this seems like a sensible deal, if not a straight-forward one to get over the line.

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