Liverpool could be set to strengthen their forward positions in the summer with a bargain move for Schalke 04 forward Matthew Hoppe.
According to Goal, the Reds are interested in making a move for the 20-year-old forward, with Brad Friedel saying “time will tell” whether the club elect to bring him to Anfield.
Considering the American’s age and immense potential, he is an addition who would make perfect sense for Jurgen Klopp.
Hoppe has been one of the few bright sparks for Schalke this season, with the Bundesliga giants quickly heading for relegation to the second tier of German football.
Who should start up-front for Liverpool?
Diogo Jota
Divock Origi
Roberto Firmino
He is currently the club’s top scorer this season in all competitions with five goals, which is approximately 31% of their total goal haul in the league this term. For context, Schalke’s next highest scorers are Mark Uth and Benito Raman, who have just two strikes each to their name.
Hoppe was crucial in the club’s only win of the campaign, bagging a hat-trick in a 4-0 rout against Hoffenheim. New Schalke boss Dimitrios Grammozis has recently praised the 20-year-old for his performances, saying: “Matthew has done really well in the games he has played in so far. Looking at the way he has scored his goals, he hasn’t just been lucky, but has shown real quality.” [via bulinews.com]
Whilst his goal record is not all too inspiring when looking at some of Liverpool’s reported transfer targets from elsewhere in Europe, it is certainly better than Divock Origi’s poor count for the season. The Belgian has scored just one goal in 17 appearances in all competitions.
Hoppe also outperforms the former Lille man in his general play, too. According to WhoScored, the Schalke man is averaging 1.1 shots, 0.4 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game. Meanwhile, Origi is averaging just 0.7, 0.3 and 0.2 respectively for those metrics.
Considering that Hoppe is toiling in a team who are marooned right at the bottom of the Bundesliga table, his statistics are certainly impressive and would likely improve if he played in a better side.
Rated at just £2.7m by Transfermarkt, a move for the American striker could certainly be a bargain buy for Jurgen Klopp and Michael Edwards.
AND in more news, away from arrivals, the Reds must be sure to hold onto a current Anfield defender…