Barcelona wants 'new Lionel Messi' transfer Liverpool 'likes' as Eden ...

8 May 2023

Liverpool enjoyed a perfect weekend in terms of its Champions League qualification hopes, with the top four just about in sight now with three matches left.

Manchester United and Newcastle United both have a game in hand, but both teams are within reach should they slip up and Liverpool continue to keep on winning, as it has in each of its last six fixtures.

Manchester United would appear to be the most catchable side, though it would take dropped points in at least two of its final four matches (Wolves, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Fulham) for that to be the case.

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Newcastle is among the clubs chasing a player Liverpool has been linked with in the past at the moment, and with its wealthy owners, could take another big step forward if it gets into the top four a year or two ahead of schedule.

The Magpies could be facing Real Madrid next season if both are in the Champions League, and the Spanish giants also feature in today's round-up of the biggest European football stories.

Here is the Liverpool.com take on some of the news around the rest of the big leagues today.

Transfer battle for 'Turkish Messi'

Newcastle United, Barcelona and Ajax are all this summer vying to sign a player previously linked with Liverpool: Fenerbahçe wonderkid Arda Güler, who has been dubbed the 'Turkish Lionel Messi'.

The 18-year-old has already made two appearances at international level and the Daily Mail reports that he could be available for as little as $5.6m (£4.4m/€5.0m) if he doesn't end up playing more than 1,500 minutes this season because of a clause in his contract.

Güler has six goals and four assists this year but has not played the required number of minutes to remove his cheap release clause, with Liverpool having been interested in the past.

Fenerbahçe wonderkid Arda Güler. (Image: Photo by Sercan Kucuksahin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Turkish site Aksam reported last summer that Liverpool, Real Madrid and Arsenal were all considering making a move for the then-17-year-old playmaker, but Fenerbahçe valued him at $32m (£25m/€29m) which was enough to ward off possible suitors.

Liverpool.com says: At the reduced price, Liverpool should certainly take a look at the highly-rated youngster. To be scoring and assisting fairly regularly at 18 in Turkey, he is clearly a talent.

Eden Hazard decision

Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard has confirmed that he does not intend to leave the Spanish side this summer despite only having made one start for Los Blancos in La Liga this season.

Hazard moved to Spain in 2019 for a fee that could have reached as much as $190m (£150m/€172m), but he has failed to put in the kind of performances that would have been enough justification for that outlay.

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"It's been a difficult year, but with a very big team," Hazard told Cadena SER. "I have a good relationship with the club and with the players too. I want to play, but I know it's very difficult. I have to work and hope I can play more."

Liverpool.com says: Hazard has always been a good player and he caused Liverpool plenty of problems when he was in England. But ultimately, he never scored the volume of goals that his talent suggested he should have been capable of, while his injury and absence record at Real Madrid has been very poor.

Mohamed Salah, by contrast, is available all of the time and scores and creates regularly and consistently. The Egyptian is a far better player than Hazard for both of those reasons.

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