An update has emerged on Liverpool and their plans to bolster their core of young prospects during the summer transfer window…
What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?
According to Sky (via Spanish outlet Sport), Jurgen Klopp's side are one of the teams eyeing up a swoop to sign Eintracht Frankfurt starlet Kebir Ali Canpolat ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The report claims that Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Ajax are also in the race to land his signature, whilst LaLiga champions Barcelona are the latest team to throw their hat in the ring.
It states that the 16-year-old talent wants to leave the Bundesliga outfit over the coming months as he does not see a pathway through to the first team as it stands.
How many goals has Kebir Ali Canpolat scored?
The talented teen phenom has caught the eye of many top European clubs, including the Reds, after his impressive return of 11 goals in 14 U17 matches for Frankfurt last season.
Canpolat has plundered 12 goals and eight assists in 17 youth team appearances for the German side as a right winger, which has showcased his ability to make a significant impact at the top end of the pitch from a wide position.
He has also been able to translate his form over to the international stage. The exciting forward scored three goals in Turkey's three U17 European Championship outings this summer.
These sensational statistics suggest that Canpolat is a winger with the potential to burst onto the scene as a prolific goalscoring wide attacker at first-team level, if he can handle the step up to playing professional football.
This means that the 16-year-old hotshot could be the true heir to Mohamed Salah's position on the right wing at Anfield, as the Egypt international has been Klopp's go-to man for goals over the years.
No player has found the back of the net for the German head coach more than the former Chelsea prospect, who has struck 186 times in 305 appearances under his management.
Salah topped the charts for Liverpool when it came to Premier League goals (19) and assists (12) last season across his 38 outings, which highlights how influential the 31-year-old ace is in the final third.
Canpolat scored a goal every 1.27 league matches for Frankfurt's U17 team last season and this stacks up well against the current Reds star's return of a league strike every 1.59 games (137 in 218).
Therefore, the Turkish youth international is a player with the potential to offer a similar level of goalscoring from the right wing if he can translate that form to senior football.
His return of eight league assists last term would also place him third among the Liverpool squad – only behind Trent Alexander-Arnold (nine) and Salah (12) – despite that coming from just 14 matches.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Canpolat will be able to replicate those numbers in a first-team environment but his immense form for Frankfurt suggests that as a 16-year-old prospect, this signing is a gamble worth taking for Klopp in the hope that it pays off and the club have their true heir to Salah as a goalscoring winger further down the line.