Exclusive: Liverpool and Man City watch £8m striker who likens himself to Erling Haaland, hit hat-trick on weekend
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Liverpool continue to keep tabs on PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi with the USA international also on the radar of Premier League rivals Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
After a sluggish start to life at the Dutch champions, one of the most exciting young talents to emerge out of North American football over the last decade is finally beginning to step out of Luuk de Jong’s shadow.
It was veteran targetman who inspired PSV to Eredivisie glory last season, with Ricardo Pepi restricted largely to a benchwarming role.
But with manager Peter Bosz rotating his frontline in recent weeks, the £8 million signing from Augsburg is coming to the fore quite spectacularly.
And with TBR having been told that Liverpool are long-time admirers of Ricardo Pepi and continue to watch him closely – alongside Chelsea, Man United and Man City – a sudden explosion of goalscoring form could see the Texas-born 21-year-old emerge as a man in considerable demand in the very near future.
Liverpool and Manchester City like PSV striker Ricardo Pepi
Liverpool were heavily linked with Pepi when the then-teenage number nine was plying his trade for FC Dallas back home in America.
There was considerable surprise, then, when Pepi opted to seal a £17 million move to perennial Bundesliga strugglers FC Augsburg back in 2022.
The youngster may have felt that he would benefit playing more regular first-team football at the Bavarian outfit. But, leaving Augsburg after just 15 goalless Bundesliga appearances, those plans quickly went awry.
Fortunately, with his 22nd birthday still a couple of months away, that switch to Eindhoven has served to successfully kick-start Pepi’s previously ailing career.
Pepi, burned by that Augsburg experience, will not rush to make any decision over his future should offers come his way again in the New Year. But he knows that, like so many before him at PSV, good performances will lead to interest from clubs in major European leagues.
TBR understands that PSV team-mate Malik Tillman has impressed Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur due to his own dazzling performances at the Phillips Stadium.
Furthermore, of PSV’s 10 most expensive ever sales, eight of those were concluded with Premier League clubs. Liverpool snapped up Cody Gakpo nearly two months ago, while Chelsea brought Noni Madueke to Stamford Bridge from the Dutch giants.
Pepi likens himself to Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland
Liverpool, TBR understands, view Pepi in a similar way to Lyon winger Rayan Cherki. They have no doubts about his talent, but they want to see if he can fully harness his potential after a difficult spell.
"There are players like Robert (Lewandowski) and Erling Haaland I compare my game to," Pepi told MLS Soccer back in 2021, his rangy 6ft 1ins frame and powerful ball-striking reminiscent of the two superstar centre-fowards in their formative years.
"I like to watch their movements and do some video work on them. Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the world and I like to compare myself to him a lot."
Pepi scored a maiden PSV hat-trick as Bosz’s team thrashed FC Groningen 5-0 over the weekend. In his last five club appearances, the poacher has seven goal contributions.
Marciano Vink, the former Dutch international, believes that a move to England may be on the cards for Pepi in January. However, he can see a relegation-threatened club, rather than one pursuing the title, making their move.
“Clubs that are in troubled waters in the Premier League or wherever, he is becoming increasingly interesting there,” Vink tells ESPN.
“Should he go in the winter? In England, money grows on trees,” said Vink. “If PSV says ‘he is not for sale’ and they throw an x amount on the table…
“You never know.”
