Liverpool transfer target keen to make Anfield switch due to one key reason: Reports

Arne Slot coached Orkun Kokcu from 2021 to 2023 at Feyenoord.
Arne Slot coached Orkun Kokcu from 2021 to 2023 at Feyenoord.

Benfica midfielder Orkun Kokcu is reportedly interested in moving to Liverpool due to his desire to reunite with ex-Feyenoord boss Arne Slot.

Kokcu, 23, spent two seasons under Slot at Feyenoord before joining Benfica in a potential £26 million transfer in 2023. He netted 21 goals and laid out 14 assists in 96 overall matches for the Eredivisie team under Slot.

Now, according to Football Insider, Kokcu is hoping to move to Liverpool to reunite with Slot at Anfield. However, the Reds would have to lodge a significant bid to lure the Turkey international away from Benfica.

Should Kokcu join the Merseyside outfit in the future, he could prove to be a stellar signing for them. He would offer fine competition to the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones in the club's 4-2-3-1 setup.

Kokcu, whose current deal will expire in June 2028, has started 43 of his 56 overall appearances for Benfica so far. He has found the back of the net 11 times and laid out 14 assists for the Primeira Liga giants.

Ex-Liverpool chief says he regrets not pushing to snap up 27-year-old Premier League winger

Ex-Liverpool director of research Dr. Ian Graham has asserted that he should have told the Reds' transfer team to sign Kaoru Mitoma in the past. He wrote in his book (h/t Tribal Football):

"We admired both Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion's signings, though we never told them that. Me and my colleague Daf Steele used to keep lists of players who looked outstanding in their domestic leagues but were either not quite good enough for Liverpool or played in a style that didn't fit ours."

Opining on the 27-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion star, he added:

"Kaoru Mitoma was the best player in Japan, rating above the Premier League average. It was very rare for us to rate a player in Japan anywhere near Premier League level. It's still a source of regret to me that I didn't insist that Mitoma be more seriously considered as a potential Liverpool signing."

Mitoma, 27, left Japanese outfit Kawasaki Frontale to join Brighton for close to £3 million in the summer of 2021. Subsequently, the attacker was sent out on loan to Union Saint-Gilloise for the 2021-22 season.

Since returning from the Belgian side, Mitoma has established himself as a crucial starter at Brighton. The 24-cap Japan international has registered 14 goals and 15 assists in 78 appearances in all competitions.

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Edited by Debkalpa Banerjee
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