Liverpool is seeking to make some more transfers after the capture of Alexis Mac Allister and a player that Arsenal is keen on could fit the bill for Jürgen Klopp.
Liverpool does not have an immediate and pressing need for another attacker despite the departure of Roberto Firmino thanks to Cody Gakpo’s arrival from PSV in January.
But when a chance to sign a premium young talent emerges, there should be enough incentive to change those plans, with another PSV product seemingly available.
According to Football.London, Simons has scheduled a meeting with PSV to decide his future with Arsenal among the clubs taking an interest in signing him for what would need to be a club-record sale for the Dutch outfit.
PSG has a buy-back clause but does not currently have a manager, so depending on who arrives to take charge there and what is decided, there could be a chance to steal Simons — a forward who can also play as an attacking midfielder.
“I don’t know yet,” Simons, who scored 22 goals and assisted a further 12 this season, said when asked this week about his future while on international duty with the Netherlands.
“I’m now with the Dutch national team, I’m going to work here for two weeks and then we’ll see what happens. Soon we will decide together with family what is best for me.
Paris Saint-Germain but decided to move to the Eredivisie with the desire of playing regular first-team football. Since Liverpool signed Cody Gakpo from the Dutch club, Simons has maintained strong form for them. Before and after Gakpo was there, Simons was hugely impressive.
Of course, statistics from outside Europe’s most notable leagues require caution when inspecting them, but with Simons having been 19 years old for most of this season — and already a Netherlands international — there is promise when comparing his output to the statistics of Chelsea’s Mason Mount during his spell at Vitesse Arnhem.
Mount, who is admired by Liverpool, registered 14 goals and nine assists in 32 appearances in the Eredivisie after joining the club as an 18-year-old. Simons is slightly older but has already surpassed that level of output.
Simons has also displayed exceptional versatility this season and could play in any position across Liverpool’s front three. And with similarity to Harvey Elliott, he is able to be deployed in central midfield.
This could be the role in which Klopp could use him most, with the Reds looking to evolve in those areas. In the new-look system, he could be a more advanced number eight or deputize in the attacking line when required.
Valued at $32m (£26m/€30m) by Transfermarkt, it would cost more than that to prise him away, but it would be worth it. Gakpo is PSV’s current record sale at an initial $46m (£37m/€43m) and a similar sort of fee would be realistic and within Liverpool’s range.
In an interview with Marca, Simons recently confirmed that there is an option in the summer for Paris Saint-Germain to buy him back, though the final decision is his. PSG is undoubtedly an attractive prospect for any player, but with compatriots Virgil van Dijk and Gakpo both on Merseyside, Anfield would be a difficult place to turn down.
And amid signs that Gakpo is beginning to settle in the red of Liverpool after becoming a regular, Klopp won’t need to look far for a glowing reference as his plans for the summer are put in place
