£34m Benfica star picks Liverpool over Man Utd as Arne Slot pushes for reunion

Orkun Kokcu, a target for Liverpool, prefers a move to Anfield over other clubs, which may influence betting odds. With significant interest from several top clubs, punters might consider Liverpool as a viable contender for Kokcu's signature, potentially increasing Liverpool's chances of success in the Premier League.

Arne Slot is pushing for a reunion with one of his former Feyenoord stars to bolster his squad this summer amid a report claiming the target would ‘prefer’ a move to Liverpool over his other suitors.

Sporting director Richard Hughes has been a busy boy this summer as he works to reinforce Slot’s title-winning squad. Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman have joined for over £180m, and although it’s thought the focus is now on signing a new centre-back to replace Jarell Quansah, who’s moved to Bayer Leverkusen, and a new striker to replace exit-bound Darwin Nunez, CaughtOffside claim Slot is also interested in adding a new midfielder to his ranks.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister were near ever-presents in the Reds midfield last season, and although Wirtz has joined to improve the attacking midfield depth and presumably win a battle with Dominik Szoboszlai for a starting spot, the Dutch boss apparently feels he wants added competition or backup for the deeper-lying pair along with Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo.

Manchester United, Tottenham and Inter Milan are also said to be interested in Slot’s top target for the role, Benfica’s Orkun Kokcu. It’s claimed the Portuguese side ‘would likely accept €40m [£34m] to let him go’ this summer after his 12 goals and eight assists in all competitions last season, ahead of a further two assists in this summer’s Club World Cup.

Kokcu claimed Slot was “the best coach in the world” while the pair worked together at Feyenoord and the report claims ‘they’d both be keen on a reunion at Anfield if possible’. The 24-year-old would ‘prefer a move to Liverpool’ over other options, which include Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas from his native Turkey.

But they are ‘considered less realistic destinations’, with one source telling CaughtOffside that the plan is to “explore a move to the Premier League” in general before spreading the transfer net wider.

Slot could currently have Martin Zubimendi to call upon had the Spain international not snubbed a move to Anfield last year ahead of his transfer to Arsenal this summer. After finally being unveiled as a new Gunners player, Zubimendi said he “set his sights” on a move to the Emirates.

“Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me,” our new midfielder said in his first interview. “It’s a young, highly motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. Andrea [Berta] and Mikel [Arteta] took excellent care of me, leaving me with no doubts whatsoever.

“This is a huge moment in my career. It’s the move I was looking for; one I wanted to make. Of course, it’s a big change, but I’m ready to get started.”

Arne Slot is pushing for a reunion with one of his former Feyenoord stars amid a report claiming the 24-year-old would 'prefer' a move to Liverpool over other suitors.

Football365