Liverpool could seal $44m transfer ‘more talented than Cristiano Ronaldo’ would be the ideal substitute for Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool have been linked with a $44m move for a teenaged Juventus wonderkid, with the Turkish forward being labeled as ‘more talented’ than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kenan Yıldız picks things up quickly. In the summer of 2022, Juventus bought the teenager from Bayern Munich on a free transfer, much hoopla. After that, Yıldız played for a year for Juventus Next Gen, the young team of the Italian powerhouse, which is one of the few teams in Serie C to have a U23 squad.

Yıldız advanced to the main team last summer after making 14 appearances for Juventus Next Gen. The young Turk was anticipated to do great things, but Max Allegri wasn’t very happy with him when he made his debut on the first day of the season in the closing minutes of the 3-0 victory over Udinese.

In his post-match interview, Allegri indicated that Yıldız’s hands were the real issue, not his feet. “Tomorrow he’ll cut his hair because he’s touched it 100 times; tomorrow he’ll cut it, and let’s do things properly,” Allegri said. For Allegri, Yıldız’s hair was impeding his progress as a coach because he is a highly practical person. With promptitude, Yıldız followed instructions, and the next day, the 18-year-old uploaded a photo of himself at the barbershop.

Since then, he hasn’t looked back. Yet the forward has had to be patient. Juve’s lack of European football this season meant that Allegri didn’t need to rotate his squad, and with the likes of Federico Chiesa, Dušan Vlahović, Arkadiusz Milik and Moise Kean on the books, opportunities were going to be limited.

Due to the ineffectiveness of several Juventus forwards (Vlahović, Kean, Milik) and the frequent injuries of Chiesa, Yıldız was given the opportunity to start strong against Frosinone in December. He scored an incredible solo goal to start the game, coming in off the left side, dribbling past three Frosinone defenders in a confined space, and smashing the ball hard and low into the bottom corner of the goal.

Yıldız played a fantastic play, displaying skills with the ball and a determination to run at players that only Chiesa in the current Juventus team possesses. Yıldız has started three of Juve’s last four games since making his full debut at Frosinone, and his combination with Vlahović has increased Allegri’s offensive potency and less one-dimensional.Apart from his left-wing play, Yıldız can also drop deep, switch to a second attack role, and disappear between the lines. When Yıldız starts, Allegri’s 3-5-2 system changes to a 3-5-1-1. Italian media outlets have drawn parallels between the two Juve greats who performed exceptionally well as second attackers while wearing Bianconeri jerseys: Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero.

Only this past week, Yıldız played Frosinone again in the Coppa Italia, and this time, the team scored another incredible goal—this time, a first-time volley off a floated cross from Weston McKennie. Juve supporters exhibit a tangible sense of joy everytime Yıldız touches the ball, a phenomenon rarely witnessed at the team since Paulo Dybala’s heyday a few years ago. Furthermore, Sokyan Basar, the technical director of Turkey U19, thinks that Yıldız is more skilled than Cristiano Ronaldo, a different former striker for Juventus. According to Goal, Basar stated, “His technique with the ball at his feet is superior than that of the Portuguese.”

In light of Juventus’ precarious financial situation, Liverpool has been linked to a deal for Yıldız by Italian daily La Gazzetta Dello Sport (print edition via Paisley Gates). Juve may give him up for about $44 million (£34 million/€40 million) to balance the books and buy players in January, as was previously believed. However, given his progress in the meantime, there is very little likelihood of that occurring at this time. However, the Italian publication speculates that Jürgen Klopp’s charm and influence might be crucial.

Juve would need to get an enormous offer before considering letting go of Yıldız, but every player has a price, so if Liverpool raises the offer sufficiently, Juve won’t be able to say no. It’s still rather early days for the teenager, but his potential is huge and he’s a fast learner: just ask his barber.

Liverpool.com states that although Yıldız is clearly a talent for the future, the team’s chances of signing him in the near future seem small given how strong their offensive line is. Furthermore, it has been reported that Juve will try to let go of other players in order to reduce the financial strain left by Yıldız’s breakthrough into the starting lineup. While that would have seemed likely a few months ago, things have changed since then. That doesn’t mean Liverpool shouldn’t monitor his progress, though, and if Mohamed Salah leaves, who knows?