Liverpool To Use Minamino In Cash-Plus-Player Deal For Messi’s $78M Teammate: Report

Liverpool FC are reportedly planning to use Takumi Minamino in an exchange deal to bring Lucas Ocampos at Anfield from Sevilla.

Premier League defending champions Liverpool, who are undergoing a nightmare of a season in 2020-21, have identified Argentina winger Ocampos as an ideal addition to their faltering attack for pace and quality, Spanish publication La Razon reported.

The 26-year-old winger Ocampos is contracted with Sevilla until 2024 and is believed to have a release clause of $78 million and which is why a straight cash move looks unlikely for Liverpool.

In the 2020 January transfer window, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool signed Minamino from RB Salzburg for $10 million, who ended up winning the Premier League only after making 10 appearances in the English top-flight league.

Minamino scored four goals in 17 competitive appearances for the Reds in 2020-21 before he was sent off to Southampton on loan. In very little time, he has managed to impress the Saints, scoring twice in three matches.

It has also been reported that Sevilla are interested in acquiring Japan’s Minamino, although Liverpool still will have to pay a significant amount of money to match the La Liga side’s valuation of Ocampos, who has made six appearances for Lionel Messi-led Argentina, scoring twice.

Ocampos, who kickstarted his senior career at Argentina-based club River Plate, moved to Ligue 1 club Monaco in 2012 but played first-team soccer for them only in 2013. During his Monaco stint, he played for Marseille on loan before permanently signing for the French club. He played for Serie A clubs Genoa and Milan on season-long loans before finally making his move to Sevilla in the summer of 2019.

In his maiden season at Sevilla, Ocampos netted 17 goals in as many as 44 matches, across competitions, including 14 in La Liga. In the ongoing season, the 26-year-old Argentinian winger has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 31 competitive matches as Sevilla are currently placed fourth in the league table.

It is understood that Sevilla need to make a big sale this summer because of financial reasons and Ocampos is tipped to be among their most saleable assets along with star defender Jules Kounde, who has been linked with Manchester United.