Liverpool are said to be battling Tottenham for the signing of Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma, with the winger potentially available on a free transfer in 2027.

The Japanese an impressive attacking footballer who can be devastating at his best, being hailed by former Reds midfielder and former teammate James Milner in the past:

“He’s top level, the way he watches the defenders and reacts to that, the way he dribbles, he’s a very clever player, very sharp and he’s an important player for us for sure.”

Liverpool still need to target wingers in the next few transfer windows, despite Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz arriving this summer, and it looks as though Mitoma is on their list of potential options.

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who report that the Reds are “monitoring the situation” of the 29-year-old currently, with Spurs battling them for his signature.

As things stand, they are the only two clubs who are “keen” on him, and his current Brighton contract expires at the end of this season, and it remains to be seen if he will stay on.

The update also claims that Liverpool “have retained a long-standing interest” in Mitoma, who has scored and assisted against them once apiece in the Premier League, also netting in an FA Cup clash.

Is Kaoru Mitoma good enough for Liverpool?

Mitoma is such an impressive player when he is on song, with his quick feet out wide causing defenders huge problems, and Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler hailing his “special” ability, saying:

“It was a special goal, a special touch from him, a special action. On top of that, it was a great assist from Bart. So in general, a nice goal. Unfortunately, nice goals only count as one goal. So that’s the thing we have to accept, but I’m happy for, for Kaoru.

“I’m happy that he works that hard on the training pitch and now he gets the things he deserves on a match day. Hopefully it gives him confidence and gives him the belief in his own strengths and hopefully can continue like this.”

Despite Mitoma’s obvious qualities, there are negatives to Liverpool signing him, with the Japan international now 29 years of age, and potentially past his absolute peak as a player.

Granted, he would be available on a free transfer, which takes out some of the risk element, but the Reds would be wiser to target a younger option with room to improve in the coming years.

Mitoma is also at his best on the left wing at a time when Liverpool have a plethora of options there, including Barcola, Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha.

The Merseysiders need a right winger instead, in order to fill the void left by Mohamed Salah, with a left-footed player of a similar ilk making sense, such as Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh.

If Liverpool do suddenly sign Mitoma in 2027, he could easily be a good signing for a few years, but ultimately, the negatives outweigh the positives with him, so they should look elsewhere.