There's a few cool graphics flying around Twitter today with analyses of how transfer rumors get picked up--This is Anfield is hosting the most popular, focused on Luis Muriel and the very slim bits of evidence that were mutated into a "Muriel to replace Suarez!" rumor in a frighteningly short period of time. Muriel would, by all accounts, be an excellent addition, but just because Liverpool have watched him before doesn't mean he's headed to Anfield. So it's with a fair bit of hesitation that we discuss the chances that Roberto Soldado will be joining Liverpool; a fair number of sources have discussed the club's interest of late, but with little information beyond something very similar to what Rory Smith tweeted, let's not get too ahead of ourselves.
Tottenham Hotspur had reportedly been the favorites to pry Soldado away from Valencia, but with a disagreement over the player's valuation--Valencia set it at £26m, which the North London club are not interested in paying. In comes Liverpool, who may very well be dealing with a goodbye for Luis Suarez as early as the next 48 hours. I'm very doubtful about the 48 hours bit, but not so much regarding Soldado, who's one of the few proven, high-level goalscorers that's openly available this summer.
The price may yet prove to be a stumbling block for Liverpool as well, but we know that Brendan Rodgers wants to add more goals, which Soldado provided in spades last season at Valencia, and if Suarez is indeed headed elsewhere, there's going to be a decent sum of money available for use. This wouldn't be an Andy Carroll situation, in which Liverpool would ask "Solado plus £15m!!!" for Suarez, but one in which the club would be recouping and then reinvesting, in this case quite smartly.
Among the only concerns is Soldado's age, which is where the whole stumbling block part comes in. At 28 he's got only a few years of top-flight football remaining, and even if he manages to produce at a rate similar to what he did this past season, he's got very little resale value. His cost alone is cause for some serious thinking, and buying him would represent a major, major move for Liverpool.
But. If Liverpool are going to get better regardless of what happens to Luis Suarez, they'll need better players to do so. Overly simplistic, maybe, but Soldado appears to be adaptable across the forward line, creative in the linkup, very, very good at finishing, and someone with the requisite work rate and energy to fit in a system that will demand he work hard 100% of the time. On some occasions even 200%.
As with every name now linked with Liverpool in the post-Mkhitaryan world, caution is the best course of action. If anything pans out, though, it's the type of signing that improves Liverpool, and cold calculations of age and resale value don't necessarily need apply.
Especially since we have a video.
Video by XimoVCF