Liverpool edge closer to signing 'very good' star who Andoni Iraola loves

Liverpool have been linked with a fair few players already this summer.

The Anfield outfit have a lot of work to do before they end up at the same level as their title rivals.

Manchester City and Chelsea have both already spent well over £100 million on new players whereas Liverpool have only spent £35 million.

And, while you'd think this would be okay after a £450 million spend last summer, thanks to a number of different reasons, nothing went to plan for Liverpool last term and their huge amount of spending actually managed to make things worse.

This lack of form has led to several new players being linked with a Liverpool move and now, a deal for one of the Reds' newest targets could be about to get over the line.

Andoni Iraola believes Ibrahim Mbaye is an 'ideal' player for his system

Liverpool's attack is where their main problems lie.

The Anfield outfit have hardly any depth up front and, with Cody Gakpo constantly being linked with a move to Tottenham, it's clear that some more change is on its away.

Because of this, several attackers have already been linked with a Liverpool move with some deals feeling more advanced than others.

And now, as per a fresh update from TEAMtalk, Andoni Iraola sees Ibrahim Mbaye as an 'ideal' fit for his Liverpool team.

"TEAMtalk understands Reds boss Andoni Iraola has identified the France youth international as an ideal fit for his high-intensity attacking system, and that message has been relayed directly to the player," they wrote.

"Sources close to Mbaye have confirmed he is now keen to explore a move to Anfield.

"PSG are understood to be seeking a package worth around €50million (£43m / $58m), a valuation Liverpool are comfortable with.

"We also understand personal terms are not expected to present any difficulties should negotiations between the clubs advance."

Ibrahim Mbaye is the most likely attacker to join Liverpool this summer

Bradley Barcola is Liverpool's main priority at the moment but, over the last couple of days, links with Mbaye have began to resurface

When it was announced that Paris Saint-Germain wanted to sign Yan Diomande, it was clear that a couple of their attackers were going to have to be moved on.

Kang-In Lee has already joined Atletico Madrid and, since Barcola and Mbaye are Luis Enrique's back-up attackers, both of them were also up for grabs.

At the moment, PSG are willing to let Mbaye go but are reluctant to sell Barcola despite him only having two years left on his current deal.

And, even though Liverpool want both and would prefer to get a deal for the Frenchman over the line, at the moment, Mbaye feels like the most likely player to join them.

Obviously, there's still a few weeks until the window closes but, with Iraola seeing the "very good" attacker as an 'ideal' player for his system, it feels like his move is a matter of when, not if.