Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kylian Mbappe appears to have approved Liverpool’ s move for winger Jeremy Doku.
Reports have surfaced in France over the past few days claiming that the Reds and Jurgen Klopp have a ‘strong interest’ in the Belgian wideman. The links emerge after Doku has enjoyed his most prolific season for Rennes with seven goals to his name in all competitions last term.
His form helped the French side to a fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1 and with it they secured a place in the Europa League group stage - their sixth-consecutive season of European football. One man who was left impressed by Doku’s showings over recent campaigns has been French forward Mbappe.
He revealed that he had been discussing the forward in a chat with his father and was a big fan of his talents. “Recently, I was speaking with my father about a player who impressed me because of his speed qualities, that is Doku, at Rennes,” Mbappe said in June 2021.
“In 5 years as a professional, I have never seen someone from a standing start demonstrate so much power.”
Doku, 21, has made 90 appearances for Rennes since his arrival from Belgian giants Anderlecht. He has 11 goals and ten assists in all competitions in that time, whilst he has also earned opportunities on the international front having collected 14 caps for Belgium.
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It is not the first time that Liverpool have been linked with a move for the winger. He was previously invited to Merseyside back in 2017 but elected to stay with Anderlecht.
The youngster was also rumoured to be under consideration by the Reds and Premier League rivals Chelsea before the World Cup. Amid that interest, Doku also has a thumbs up from Manchester City ’s treble-winning midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
Speaking after the forward had scored his first international goal, he said: “He [Doku] is nimble, fast and he can dribble. Of course, he sometimes makes a mistake, but who doesn’t? He is a diamond in the rough.”
Doku has two years left to run on his contract in France and should Liverpool pursue a deal in the immediate future, he would be the second new face to arrive on Merseyside. Liverpool have already managed to secure the £45m signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton.
Meanwhile, there has been a slight tweak to their attack with Roberto Firmino ’s exit - which could leave space for Doku. Luis Diaz is also expected to play a far more prominent role next term.
The Colombian is now free of the injury issues that plagued his previous campaign, whilst he has also claimed the mantle of the Reds’ iconic number seven shirt.