Liverpool leading race to sign Serie A striker in January

Just four games remain of the current World Cup, with the semi-finals taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Brazil, the Netherlands, Portugal and England were all eliminated over the weekend, with France and Argentina being joined by Morocco and Croatia in the last four.

Several Premier League sides have also been in action over the weekend ahead of the return of top flight football on Boxing Day, with Chelsea and Liverpool among those involved in mid-season friendlies.

The Reds were beaten 3-1 by French side Lyon, with Mohamed Salah missing a penalty, and it now appears that Jurgen Klopp is chasing a new striker during the upcoming transfer window.

According to Gazzette dello Sport via The Mirror, The Reds are leading the race to sign Mexico striker Hirving Lozano.

The 27-year-old, who currently plays for Italian side Napoli, is set to be out of contract in the summer of 2024 but his current employers are reluctant to offer him a new deal due to his huge wages.

The Serie A leaders paid £36 million for the Mexican when they signed him from PSV and they are believed to be tempted to cash in on him before his value begins to drop.

Lozano started all three of Mexico’s games at the World Cup in Qatar

Having been linked with the forward in the past, Liverpool are considered to be leading the race to sign the Mexico international, who started all three of his nation’s group stage matches at the World Cup in Qatar.

For Napoli, Lozano has scored 30 goals in 133 matches, as well as providing 16 assists.

During his time in Eindhoven, the winger netted a remarkable 40 goals in 79 games, registering 23 assists in that time.

Klopp’s side have struggled with injuries so far this season, with both Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota having been sidelined for a number of weeks.

The Reds were in poor form prior to the Premier League’s enforced break towards the end of November, with the Merseyside outfit having won just six of their 14 matches so far this term.

Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez from Benfica over the summer following the departures of Sadio Mane and Divock Origi, but The Reds have struggled despite the Uruguay international having scored nine goals in 18 matches across all competitions so far.