Liverpool fans are getting excited ahead of the 2017/18 Premier League season, with the summer additions of Mo Salah and Dominic Solanke to Jurgen Klopp’s squad. So what of their interest in Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?
Club CEO Peter Moore may have raised expectations to fever pitch on the Aubameyang front in his simple response to a fan on Twitter, today.
The supporter messaged Moore: ‘If Aubameyang is available for £63m as reported (and would come) please get him! You would recoup most of the money in shirts.’
Recent appointment, Moore replied, joking, within a few minutes: ‘All the profits would disappear with the cost of lettering the shirts…’
This simple exchange is telling for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it is extremely refreshing to see the CEO of a major football club interacting with fans in this way. Moore for his part is a long term, unabashed, Liverpool fan who – despite his high achieving corporate CV – has demonstrated his passion for the club very openly since his appointment to replace Iain Ayre.
Secondly, Moore’s relaxed mood would suggest that the club are clear on their strategy for Aubameyang, a player who excelled under Klopp at Dortmund. It seems unfathomable that Liverpool would be uninterested in the young Gabonese player as he would be a perfect fit with Klopp’s high octane playing style and Liverpool clearly need a 20 goal-a-season striker in their ranks.
We’ll continue to monitor this story closely and expect to be able to report more concrete news from Anfield within the coming fortnight.