Liverpool are desperately searching for a striker and some surprise names have started to crop up in conversation.

The Reds are known for their free-flowing, attacking football that strikes fear into their opponents’ eyes, but they want to make their forward line even more frightening ahead of the new season.

Defending the Premier League title is one of the hardest jobs but they have recruited well to stand a good chance of achieving this, all that is missing is a few more additions.

An out-and-out goalscorer is towards the top of the agenda and they have recently been linked with a surprise move for Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, with Liverpool holding a meeting with the player and his agent in Paris.

Thierry Henry has told Liverpool all it needs to know about Jean-Philippe Mateta transfer move	Liverpool fans are all in agreement over potential Jean-Philippe Mateta transfer, but only on one condition	Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Jean-Philippe Mateta contact, Alexander Isak decision

Reds fans are unsure about the potential transfer but Premier League legend Thierry Henry has already suggested that it would be a fantastic move, and who better to take advice off in this situation?

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Henry certainly knows where the back of the net is and as one of the best, if not the best, attackers in the history of English football, it might be worth hearing him out when it comes to potential striker options.

The Frenchman coached Mateta at the Olympic Games last summer and was full of praise for the Palace forward, telling the world in a press conference just how good a striker he really is.

“He’s an old-fashioned striker – you can play a little more direct.

He can keep the ball,” Henry said.

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“He’s a boring striker to play against!

He uses his physicality, he’s good with his head, and he scores.

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“It’s important that a striker like that gives you another dimension.

It seems to me that he’s not too bad!”

If all these are true, then he sounds like the perfect Liverpool striker, with Arne Slot needing a player who can both score and create.

He is certainly a little different to the usual profile the Reds would go for but different does not mean bad and signing Mateta this summer could prove to be a stroke of genius.

Take nothing away from the Frenchman, he is an excellent striker and has clearly shown his worth in the Premier League in recent years, but it is unlikely that he will be the Reds’ regular number nine.

Mateta has two years left on his contract so could come at a slightly cheaper price than normal, suggesting Liverpool could still have some money in the bank to buy another, something they should definitely do.

Hugo Ekitike is another player often linked but he could be on his way to Newcastle, potentially opening the door for Alexander Isak to leave.

This would likely be next summer, however, indicating that Mateta could be a short-term option while they wait to buy the Swede, something even more plausible given that the Frenchman is already 28.
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