Takefusa Kubo learnt football in the Barcelona cantera and, after several years in Japan, signed for Real Madrid. After loan spells at Mallorca, Villarreal and Getafe, Japanese midfielder made a full transfer to Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022.
He is used as a right winger at his club, and last season he scored seven goals and provided five assists in 41 games throughout the domestic league and Champions League.
Although he was less involved in the scoring in the second half of the season, the 23-year-old young attacker is attracting the attention of strong clubs.
Sponichi reported that the central figure in the national team is also close to a move to Liverpool, with negotiations reaching a critical stage. It also reported that he is preparing a transfer fee of as much as €65 million, plus a high annual salary of €15 million.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano is not aware of any moves by Liverpool for the Japanese midfielder and completely denied the reports, saying that he was not close to playing at Anfield.
“I’m not aware of anything really concrete happening around [Takefusa Kubo moving to Liverpool].”
“I saw these reports but it’s not something that I’m told is close or imminent at this stage.”
Daily Briefing
With the transfer market open and Liverpool’s search for a successor to Egyptian international Mohamed Salah in full swing, there have been numerous reports linking the club with young wingers who have proven themselves in Europe.And this time, too, it is likely to end up being just a rumour.
Realistically, it is unlikely that Liverpool would pay as much as 65 million for a Japanese midfielder who faltered in the second half of last season.
Furthermore, a salary of €15 million a year is a salary in the class of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and others, and is not worth that much.
While it would be tempting to see him play at Anfield after developing more in Spain and scoring more goals, Real Madrid will not leave him alone and it seems unlikely that a future in the Premier League challenge will ever come.