Liverpool struck gold on “extraordinary” star who’s worth more than Dembele

Liverpool’s chances of securing a treble in Arne Slot’s first season in charge of the club were quashed against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The Reds were beaten on penalties by the French giants after a 1-1 draw on aggregate with Luis Enrique’s team, as Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones both missed their spot-kicks in the shootout.

Slot’s side now need to turn their attention to the League Cup final clash with Newcastle United at Wembley on Sunday, which is their chance to land another trophy alongside what seems like an inevitable Premier League title success.

Liverpool, though, may have gone into their clash with PSG on Tuesday night with confidence that they could go through, as they were 1-0 up on aggregate and playing in front of their home crowd.

Unfortunately, however, Ousmane Dembele and his impressive teammates had other ideas, as the France international scored the goal that ultimately took the game to penalties, which led to Gianluigi Donnarumma’s heroics.

The former Barcelona man was exceptional across the two legs and it is hard to argue with him being on the team that ultimately went through to the next round.

Ousmane Dembele’s incredible 2024/25 season

Dembele created three chances, scored one goal, and completed a whopping seven dribbles across the two legs, whilst he also scored his penalty in the shootout.

His performances against Liverpool were not a one or two-off phenomenon, though, as he has been in incredible form for PSG throughout the season.

As you can see in the graphic above, the French wizard has almost averaged a goal or an assist every game in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side, which speaks to his ability to consistently make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

The 27-year-old star is hitting his peak, almost eight years on from his move to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund for a mouth-watering reported fee of £135.5m in the summer of 2017.

Dembele had racked up ten goals and 20 assists in all competitions for Dortmund in the 2016/17 campaign to earn that valuation, yet he has produced even more in front of goal in the current term and is worth considerably less.

Now, Transfermarkt currently values Dembele at just £46m – a stark decline from the £135.5m fee Barcelona once agreed for his services.

He is, of course, seven years older and that experience is telling, as the winger has found his consistency at the top end of the pitch, which PSG are now benefitting from.

Market Movers

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Despite his exceptional form for PSG and his standout performances against the Reds, Liverpool have several players who are more valuable – per Transfermarkt – than the forward.

Liverpool players more valuable than Ousmane Dembele

The Reds, as you would expect with a team that is closing in on a Premier League title, have a squad that is full of incredibly valuable stars.

In fact, Liverpool – as per Transfermarkt – have six players who are worth more than Ousmane Dembele at the time of writing, including one of the players who missed from the penalty spot against PSG on Tuesday – Nunez.

As you can see in the table above, four of Slot’s starters against the French side in the Champions League are currently more valuable than the former Barcelona flop.

Nunez, of course, came off the bench and missed one of the penalties in the shoot-out, and the former Benfica man will be hoping to bounce back in the League Cup final to prove his worth.

Unfortunately, Cody Gakpo had to come on as a substitute on his return to fitness, having not played since February, and the Reds missed the quality he can provide at his best.

The Dutch attacker has been in terrific form this season for Slot, proving his worth on the left flank for Liverpool, and his value has soared as a result of that.

Why Liverpool have struck gold on Cody Gakpo

Jurgen Klopp swooped to sign the attacker from Dutch giants PSV in the January transfer window at the start of 2023 for a reported fee of just £35m.

He scored seven goals and provided three assists in 26 appearances during the second half of that season, before a return of 16 goals and six assists in 53 matches in his first full campaign at Anfield under the German boss.

Gakpo has already scored 16 goals and assisted five in just 39 appearances for the club in all competitions under Slot this term, which shows that he has improved his output in the final third.

The 25-year-old star, who reporter Beth Lindop claimed is having an “extraordinary” season, has proven his ability to be a consistent goal threat for the Reds, and they missed him in the first leg against PSG and as a starter in the second leg.

As you can see in the table above, his form over the last year has been comparable to some of Europe’s best wingers, including Dembele’s PSG teammate Bradley Barcola and Premier League superstar Bukayo Saka.

Liverpool hit the jackpot when they signed him for just £35m from PSG because, alongside his excellent performances, he is currently worth £50m – as per Transfermarkt – and that is £4m more than Dembele and £15m more than the club paid for him at the start of 2023.

At the age of 25, Gakpo also has plenty of time left ahead of him to continue to develop and improve his output in front of goal, which could lead to his value soaring even higher, which is another reason why the Reds struck gold by signing him for such a relatively modest fee from PSV.

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It was heartbreak for Liverpool as they fell against PSG in the last 16 of the Champions League.

It is now down to the Netherlands international to remain consistent in his performances, not allowing his output to regress to previous levels, to ensure that he remains a key player for Slot moving forward.