Andoni Iraola has already put the point plainly, Liverpool definitely need to sign a winger. That is the backdrop to the reported interest in Maghnes Akliouche, with Liverpool having contacted Monaco earlier in the transfer window to check on his availability. The move is still being framed as early and tentative, not a done deal.

Iraola's winger demand

The clearest line in all of this is the one from Iraola. Speaking about the market, he said Liverpool are open to options but added that winger is an obvious need, and then repeated: "Winger for example, we definitely need to sign a winger." He also said it is difficult to pin down a number because the club have to stay open to new options and weigh the market, the cost and the players already in the squad.

That fits the way Akliouche is being discussed. He has played 139 times for Monaco, scoring 23 goals and providing 28 assists. For a side looking at right-sided attacking reinforcements, that is the profile of a player who has already done a lot of the job at senior level rather than someone still learning on the fly.

The Akliouche picture is still tentative

The caution is important. David Lynch said the Akliouche move is not a likely one as things stand and called it "very, very tentative stuff". Liverpool’s shortlist also includes Bradley Barcola, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Said El Mala, while Yan Diomande was another name they were willing to pay £86m for before RB Leipzig wanted more than £100m.

PSG have also had a third bid turned down for Akliouche, with the latest offer said to be around €40million (£34m). So this is not a one-club chase, and it is not a deal that looks close to completion either. The sensible read is that Liverpool are testing several winger options, and Akliouche is one of the more established ones in that mix.

The wider picture still points back to the same need. Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League and third in the Champions League, and their recent league form was DLDLW. Those results do not force one specific target, but they do explain why the club are being linked with attacking depth in the first place. Akliouche is part of that search, not the finished answer to it.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →