Liverpool's first summer transfer could be Arne Slot favourite with '£128m release clause'

Liverpool appear to be wasting no time at all in revamping Arne Slot's squad ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

The Dutchman was officially announced as the new head coach on Monday, just one day after Jurgen Klopp's last match in charge. And although Klopp departs with the Reds in a healthy position following a third-place finish and Carabao Cup final victory, changes are afoot.

The futures of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold need to be sorted while Mohamed Salah has an uncertain summer ahead of him as well. For Slot, it leaves plenty to be done in the coming months.

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The former Feyenoord boss won't officially start until June 1, but much of the groundwork had been completed long before his eventual announcement. It leaves room for recruitment to be completed over the summer.

Now, it seems that Richard Hughes is ready to get started in the market immediately. According to Turkish outlet Fotospor, former Feyenoord captain Orkun Kokcu has been picked out as a target..

The 23-year-old midfielder only left Eredivisie last summer, departing Slot's title winners for £21million. He was snapped up by Benfica, where he went on to play 43 times in his debut season.

As a versatile midfielder capable of operating across the midfield in a deep role or more advanced position, Kokcu has caught the eye. Registering four goals and an assist in the last six games of the season once moved higher up the field by Roger Schmidt, the Dutchman is a standout option after recording a total of seven goals and eight assists in less than 2,000 league minutes.

He will come at a cost, though, with reports of a staggering £128million release clause. Having dished out over £80million for Darwin Nunez two years ago, Liverpool already know just how tough Benfica can be during negotiations.

18 months ago they managed to secure a monstrous profit on Enzo Fernandez just half a season after signing him, securing more than £100million for the Argentine as he moved to Chelsea.

Liverpool are in need of reinforcements in the centre of the park, though, as they seek to address the lack of balance often found at the heart of Klopp's team despite Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo, and Alexis Mac Allister all joining in the summer.

Kokcu may well be the answer for Slot, after he played 96 times under the new Reds head coach at Feyernoord, scoring 21 times and assisting 14, also picking up 19 yellow cards as an all-action midfielder.

He was made the club captain in his second season despite being just 21 at the start of the campaign. Having come through the club's academy he saw his role increase under Slot having been a regular in the senior side from 17 onwards.

He now plays for Turkey at international level despite being a Dutch junior representative. Kokcu was named the Dutch footballer of the year in 2023 and has a contract in Lisbon until 2028.

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