According to Record via Sport Witness, Liverpool are keeping close tabs on Benfica star Orkun Kokcu ahead of the summer. Arne Slot is looking to strengthen his midfield ranks and could view one of his former players from Feyenoord as a potential solution in the summer window.
Orkun Kokcu has continued his firm form since moving to Benfica in the summer from Feyenoord. In Portugal, the Turkish international has scored 11 goals and provided 8 assists across all competitions this season. He has been a key player for them, but a move to Benfica was always seen as a stepping stone to another big club ahead in his career.
Incidentally, a few clubs were showing an interest before January, with Liverpool one of those. The fact that the Merseysiders scouted him around October indicated they might have been interested in a move in the near future. Arne Slot knows the player all too well given they were together at Feyenoord before Kokcu moved to Benfica in the summer of 2023.
Liverpool are reportedly interested in the 24-year-old Dutch-born playmaker ahead of the summer, with Arne Slot leading the interest in the player. Kokcu might be tempted to reunite with his former manager, as Liverpool are closely monitoring his progress ahead of a potential approach in the summer.
The potential areas of challenge for Liverpool in this race would be his price point as well as the possibility of other clubs entering the chase. Kokcu currently has a €150 million release clause, which Liverpool are unlikely to match nor come anywhere close to that figure, which could still see Benfica demand a significant price in the summer.
Liverpool currently have a sorted midfield setup, with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan GravenBerch and Dominik Szoboszlai the key starters in Arne Slot’s system. The recent reports showcased their interest in several names, including the rather expensive Morgan Gibbs-White among those they are keen on.
Liverpool are also hopeful of signing Xavi Simons as well as Oihan Sancet, the report states they could potentially prefer a move for Kokcu instead. Everything will depend on the price point of the 24-year-old Dutch-born playmaker, as Liverpool will be mindful of spending too much on the midfield position at the moment,.
