Liverpool's Pursuit of Maghnes Akliouche: The Winger's Future
Liverpool’s search for life after Mohamed Salah has moved into that familiar summer territory: noise, brief flurries of excitement, and a reminder that not every target actually wants Anfield.
This time, the name on the radar is Maghnes Akliouche. The Monaco winger has been linked heavily with Liverpool in recent days, but the picture behind the headlines is far less dramatic than it looks.
PSG in control, Liverpool on the fringes
Reports on Wednesday suggested Liverpool had made an “initial approach” to Monaco for the 22-year-old, with Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas claiming the club had checked on his availability and flagged him as a serious option on the right.
It sounded like the classic Liverpool move: young, technical, high ceiling, and potentially available at a price well below the very top end of the market.
But the pressure around the story eased quickly.
Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, poured cold water on the idea that Liverpool are close to hijacking anything. His information remains clear: Paris Saint-Germain already have an agreement with the player, and Akliouche wants PSG.
Negotiations between PSG and Monaco are ongoing. The deal is not done at club level, which leaves a sliver of opportunity for others, but the French champions are described as “firmly in control of the situation” and working to wrap it up as soon as possible. For now, Liverpool have not made a concrete move.
The lesson is familiar. Just as with RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande – another early Liverpool target who has leaned towards PSG – the lure of Paris is proving hard to beat.
Liverpool’s winger plan: options, not obsession
None of this changes Liverpool’s wider plan. Salah’s expected departure, signposted back in March when the club made it clear he would be allowed to leave for a new challenge this summer, means they cannot afford to stand still in wide areas.
Victor Munoz has already arrived from Osasuna in a deal worth around €40m, but internally that signing has never been seen as the final piece of the puzzle. Liverpool want another top-level winger. They are casting the net wide.
The Athletic’s James Pearce summed up Akliouche’s place in that strategy neatly. Speaking on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness podcast, he described the Frenchman as “a possibility, rather than a kind of definite” for Liverpool.
There have been discussions. An approach earlier in the window has been mentioned. Akliouche is one of several names being assessed, not a make-or-break obsession.
Pearce also underlined the financial angle. With PSG’s Bradley Barcola viewed as the more expensive, harder-to-reach target, Akliouche has been considered a cheaper alternative. Even then, Monaco are not expected to sell for a bargain fee, with a price in the region of €50–60m likely required.
A market that won’t wait
The backdrop to all this is a transfer window moving at pace. Romano’s warning about deals turning quickly – he referenced the recent Morgan Rogers twist – is a reminder of how fragile any “sure thing” can be.
For Liverpool, that cuts both ways. PSG’s talks with Monaco could yet stall. A sudden change in stance, a disagreement over structure or bonuses, and a door might open. At that point, a club with Liverpool’s resources and need for a right-sided attacker would be foolish not to be ready.
But the reality today is simple. Akliouche wants PSG. PSG are negotiating. Liverpool are watching, weighing, and working through a list that stretches beyond one Monaco winger.
The Salah era is winding down. The question for Liverpool now is not whether they like Maghnes Akliouche. It’s whether they can find, and actually land, the next wide forward who wants to build his prime years under the lights at Anfield, rather than the Parc des Princes.
