Sources in Japan now claim Liverpool are close to signing winger Takefusa Kubo – Liverpool FC

With Liverpool believed to be in the market for a right winger this summer, reports in Japan claim a deal could be close for Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo.

Though it has been a slow start to the summer, one of the areas the Reds are expected to strengthen is the right side of Arne Slot‘s attack.

So far, though, few concrete targets have been mentioned, with PSV Eindhoven’s Johan Bakayoko the most commonly speculated but with little in the way of real developments.

According to Japanese newspaper Sports Nippon, though, Liverpool could be closing in on a deal for Real Sociedad right winger Kubo.

It is claimed that “negotiations are already in the final stages” for a deal worth €60 million (£50.6m), with the 23-year-old’s agent having already travelled to England for talks.

Kubo is a lightning-fast, left-footed right winger whose football upbringing was split between Japan and Spain, including a four-year spell in Barcelona’s La Masia academy.

A FIFA ruling over his transfer forced him to return to Japan in 2015, but he later joined Real Madrid and, after a series of loans in LaLiga, has made his name with Real Sociedad.

It is not the first time Kubo has been linked with a move to Liverpool, and though it is out of the blue, the claims from Sports Nippon are not entirely farfetched.

However, the same outlet claims that he could sign a contract worth €15 million (£12.6m) a year – which, given this would mean around £240,000 a week, makes their report seem less likely.

That is not to say that the interest in Kubo is not genuine, however, simply that Liverpool are unlikely to make him one of their highest earners and the fees suggested would almost certainly be lower.

Sports Nippon suggest that the Japan international “has been chosen as the successor to the world’s best winger,” with Mohamed Salah‘s future up in the air as he enters the final year of his contract.

But with only 16 goals and 14 assists in 85 games for Real Sociedad so far, he is yet to show the prolific form that indicates he could take over from Salah immediately.

Liverpool’s new recruitment setup is expected to rely heavily on data projections, along with traditional scouting methods, and it could be that their model predicts Kubo to be the right fit.

It is a story worth keeping an eye on, but it seems unlikely at least that the deal is as far down the line as claimed in Japan.