Journalist says Liverpool have been closely watching£23m midfielder who Dirk Kuyt loves

Orkun Kokcu, the Feyenoord midfielder, has caught the attention of several middling Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa, Leicester City, and Brighton, with Liverpool now reportedly keeping a close eye on him.

Orkun Kokcu – Liverpool joins mid-table Premier League clubs in race for the Turkish

“I think a lot of clubs are after Orkun Kokcu,”

said the Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan.

“There were already a number of clubs – Leicester City, Brighton and a number of other clubs like that from that region. Aston Villa have joined them.”

Van der Kraan claims that Kokcu has already attracted the attention of these subpar Premier League clubs and is currently being monitored by “bigger” teams, such as Liverpool.

Kokcu, who is only 22, has already attracted scouts from top Premier League clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Liverpool, thus, he is expected to be in demand for the upcoming transfer window.

Kokcu’s current contract runs out in 2025, and Feyenoord are keen to keep him, but a substantial offer could force their hand.

Along with six Premier League clubs, Kokcu also has offers from Portugal, Italy, and Spain, but a desire to play European football is high on his list of priorities, making Aston Villa’s resurgence under new coach Unai Emery a potential draw.

Kokcu: Feyenoord captain’s rise to stardom

Kokcu, who has been a first-team regular at De Kuip for four seasons and is the current club captain, looks set to make the next step in his career with Feyenoord poised to lift the Eredivisie title this year.

Dirk Kuyt, former Liverpool forward and the last man to lift the title as Feyenoord captain believes that Kokcu has a big future and could potentially follow in his footsteps to Liverpool.

🚨#EXCL• Arsenal, Manchester United, Brighton, Liverpool and Aston Villa are the favourites to sign Feyenoord captain Orkun Kokcu this summer, with five other France, Portuguese and Italian clubs also interested in the 22-year-old Turkey midfielder.🇹🇷 🔴⚪#Feyenoord pic.twitter.com/y5Q05642yf

— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) April 30, 2023

Despite Feyenoord’s desire to keep Kokcu, the player’s father has received numerous inquiries, and the Turkey international is likely to be named player of the year in Holland next month.

Kokcu has had an outstanding season, with 12 goals and five assists, transitioning from a slinking number ten into a metronomic, deep-lying playmaker.

Feyenoord’s former coach, Dick Advocaat, believes that Kokcu’s decision to represent Turkey over the Netherlands was a blow to Dutch football and that the 22-year-old is better than any of the midfielders currently at Ronald Koeman’s disposal, potentially even better than Frenkie de Jong.

“He’s better than the guys who play in midfield (for the Netherlands now),”

Advocaat adds.

“He’s a very dominant player. He does very little wrong.”

Another day another midfielder linked with the Reds, it looks like we have a lot of options to choose from this summer. This will be a real test for Klopp to hire the right candidate for the right position at the right time.

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