Amid rumours of a possible move for Giorgi Mamardashvili to take over from Alisson Becker in the long-term, Liverpool also appear to have eyes on some succession planning elsewhere in the squad.
According to Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad, the Reds are among several clubs throughout England and Europe who are ‘following’ Club Brugge left-back Maxim De Cuyper. Real Betis, Sevilla, Marseille, Ajax, Wolfsburg and Arsenal have all either tried to entice the 23-year-old or are casting admiring glances in his direction.
A move for the defender this month would seem surprising, given that he’s just signed a new contract at the Jan Breydel Stadium to take him up to 2028, although that decision by his club is indicative of the increasingly lofty esteem in which they hold him.
Liverpool already have two dependable left-backs in Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas, but with that duo now 30 and 28 respectively, the Reds may be looking at De Cuyper as a long-term successor to the Scot in that position.
The Belgian would certainly appear to be an exciting prospective option on that flank. As per figures from FBref, his attacking output is among the best of any full-back outside of Europe’s five main domestic leagues.
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He ranks in the top 2% of positional peers for progressive passes per game (7.54), the top 1% for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (4.2), the top 4% for assists per match (0.24) and the top 13% for touches in the attacking penalty area with 2.01 per 90.
Similar to another reported left-back target in Rayan Ait-Nouri, there doesn’t appear to be a glaring need for Liverpool to bring in De Cuyper, but he certainly seems like someone who could excel at Anfield in future years.
We don’t expect a move for the 23-year-old this month, given that other positions are in need of more urgent attention for Richard Hughes, but it won’t do any harm to keep a close watch on his progress with Club Brugge over the next few months to see if his star will ascend even further.
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