Liverpool have reportedly set their sights on a double Serie A swoop for the summer transfer window, as Arne Slot seeks to bolster his midfield and attacking ranks.
After winning the Premier League title with four games to spare last weekend, Reds fans can expect one of the biggest windows for their team in recent memory.
Slot will be backed with significant funds thanks to his stellar success in his first season at Anfield, where the individual brilliance of Mohamed Salah has been critical to Liverpool's title triumph.
However, the Egypt international's astonishing number of goals and assists have not been replicated by Slot's central strikers, as Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez have both struggled to cut the mustard up front.
As a result, a new number nine is expected to be high on Liverpool's priority list when the summer transfer window opens, and according to Anfield Watch, Atalanta BC's Mateo Retegui is firmly on their radar.
Liverpool 'target Retegui' as Alexander Isak alternative
© Imago
The Italy international has been a prolific focal point at the tip of Gian Piero Gasperini's attack this season, netting a league-high 24 goals in 32 Serie A games to lead the way in the Capocannoniere race.
Retegui's 24 strikes in the Italian top flight is seven more than his closest challenger - Moise Kean of Fiorentina - and the 26-year-old has understandably caught the eye of Anfield chiefs with his exploits in Italy.
Retegui's contract with La Dea runs for another three years, though, so the club are under no pressure to sell immediately, and Liverpool may face competition from Arsenal to win the race for his signature.
Further back, the report adds that the Premier League champions have also taken a liking to 23-year-old Lazio midfielder Nicolo Rovella, who is actually on loan at the Biancocelesti from Juventus.
Lazio have an obligation to make Rovella's stay permanent if certain conditions are met, though, and the Italian has done a sterling job in the number six role this season, providing four assists from 41 games in all competitions.
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes supposedly believes that Rovella is the ideal alternative to Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, who snubbed a move to Anfield last summer and is now expected to join Arsenal.
Who could leave Liverpool to make room for Rovella, Retegui?
© Imago
A new attacker is unlikely to arrive at Liverpool without a couple of departures in the frontline, and the aforementioned Jota and Nunez could both be candidates for the chop in the summer window.
Luis Diaz's future is not yet set in stone either, but the Reds are believed to be planning to open contract talks with the Colombia international, whose terms run out at the end of the 2026-27 season.
Meanwhile, both Wataru Endo and Tyler Morton could be the subject of interest from elsewhere in the coming weeks, although Rovella would seemingly have to accept a backup role behind Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch next season.
Ben Knapton
