Rumour Mongering: West Brom and Fulham Want £8M Liverpool Striker

It’s been six years since Taiwo Awoniyi was first signed by Liverpool, with the Nigerian striker joining from Lagos’ Imperial Soccer Academy in a £400k deal and with hopes that the teenager could grow into a first team player.

However, difficulties in earning work permit meant Awoniyi could only be loaned out to sides on the continent to prove his worth, and after spending time at seven separate clubs it seems as though Liverpool have largely moved on.

The good news for the player, though, is that having finally been granted a work permit at the age of 23, there are a number of English clubs said to be interested in bringing the player in on a permanent deal in the summer.

According to Neil Jones of Goal, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham—two sides set for relegation from the Premier League when the season ends—are both interested and would be willing to meet the Reds’ £8M asking price for Awoniyi.

If true, it would seem a decent return in the current market for a player who has yet to play in England and has averaged more than a club a season over six seasons that can’t have been especially easy for the young striker.

Since joining the Reds, Awoniyi has played for Frankfurt in the 2.Bundesliga, NEC in the Eredivisie, Mouscron and Gent in Belgium, and Mainz and Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, totalling 137 games played while scoring 34 goals.

His most successful periods were with Royal Excel Mouscron in Belgium’s First Division, where Awoniyi spent two separate loan spells, making 47 total appearances and scoring 21 times for the Wallonian side.