Liverpool want to sign “Europe’s best player”

With that, Liverpool’s hopes of winning the treble are done and dusted. It was agonising. Everything about this season had gone right for Arne Slot since taking over from Jurgen Klopp. It was remarkable really.

That was, however, until they faced Luis Enrique’s PSG side. Most Reds will note that they were lucky to win the first leg 1-0 last week but they did not find such fortune on Tuesday evening. In fact, they lost in the cruellest of ways.

Taken to penalties following the dazzling Ousmane Dembele’s first-half goal, the lottery worked out in the Parisien’s favour instead.

Darwin Nunez saw his spot-kick saved, hardly surprising, and then Curtis Jones met the same fate. PSG, on the other hand, did not miss. They rose to the challenge and look like genuine contenders to go all the way and win the Champions League now.

For Liverpool, they will still likely claim the Premier League title in May and have the Carabao Cup final to look forward to on Sunday.

It could be the last two chances of silverware a lot of these Liverpool players have at the club, notably Mohamed Salah who was on the verge of tears at full-time.

Should he go, then they may well sign their very own Dembele.

Liverpool’s transfer plans in 2025

Last summer was a strange one for FSG and Slot. Only Federico Chiesa arrived through the door and he’s barely kicked a ball at Anfield all season long.

Yet, with the fear of Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all potentially leaving, contingency plans must be put in place.

That explains their interest in another of the Champions League’s star players this term. Indeed, according to Caught Offside, Liverpool are one of the clubs monitoring the progress of Barcelona superstar Raphinha.

Once of Leeds United in the Premier League, the Brazilian has taken his game to new heights this season and is attracting the interest of Newcastle and Arsenal too.

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While the Gunners hold a long-term interest, it’s stated that Liverpool are ‘better equipped financially’ to bring the forward back to English football as they weigh up whether to make a move.

So, what’s he all about?

Why Liverpool need to sign Raphinha

Whether Salah decides to leave Anfield behind, Raphinha would be an extraordinarily good signing by the recruitment team.

FC Barcelona's Raphinha celebrates scoring their third goal

Not only does he boast experience of English football but most importantly, he’s a pretty damn good player, a versatile one at that.

Raphinha was largely used off the right-hand side at Leeds but has shown at Barca that he can play on either flank or through the middle. In that sense, he’s a bit like Dembele, the man who terrorised Liverpool over the two legs.

Dembele has been a man-possessed this term, notably scoring 29 goals in all competitions, seven of which have come in ten Champions League ties.

That said, the man who Liverpool want to sign isn’t too far behind for goal involvements throughout 2024/25. In comparison, he’s found the net on 27 occasions, 11 of which have come in Europe.

He’s also provided his teammates with a staggering 19 assists, 13 more than Dembele. It’s hardly a surprise that Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley heralded the 27-year-old as “Europe’s best player in 24/25”.

So, where do the comparisons lie between the two? We’ll let the numbers do the talking here.

Raphinha vs Dembele: League stats in 24/25
Stat (per 90 mins)	Raphinha	Dembele
Goals	0.55	1.29
Assists	0.30	0.32
Progressive carries	3.09	6.77
Progressive passes	4.70	6.90
Key passes	3.14	3.35
Shot-creating actions	5.51	5.87
Goal-creating actions	0.85	0.77
Succesful take-ons	1.69	2.39
Stats via FBref.

While Dembele is ahead of Raphinha in a number of the metrics analysed here, it showcases their high level of productivity in similar areas.

For example, they’re both extremely progressive, whether it be through passing and carrying, while they’ve both registered a near-identical rate of shot-creating and goal-creating actions this term.

In summary, the duo are two of the most dangerous forward players in Europe at this moment in time.

When the time comes for Salah to leave Merseyside behind, it will be no easy task, but in Raphinha, “the best player in the world this season” in the eyes of Spanish football expert Neal Gardner, they’d be signing a man with the minerals to live up to his spellbinding performances.