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Sports News of Saturday, 29 May 2021

Source: www.thisdaylive.com

Paul Onuachu: Heading for Elite Club

Paul Onuachu Paul Onuachu

With 33 goals in the league; 35 in all competitions, Player of the Year and Golden Boot at the Belgian Pro League awards to crown his efforts, it is obvious that KRC Genk will fruitlessly struggle to hold on to their jewel-Paul Onuachu.

With Liverpool and Arsenal on the prowl, while Seville and RB Leipzig have not hidden their intention to lure the Nigerian, the former Midtjylland striker may indeed have played his last season for the Blue and White

Liverpool is reportedly ready to rival Sevilla and RB Leipzig in pursuit of Genk’s rising sensation, Paul Onuachu this summer. According to an exclusive report from Fichajes, Liverpool is among the clubs interested in the services of Onuachu.

The KRC Genk forward is tipped for a big-money move to a top club in the summer following a highly successful 2020/21 campaign in the Belgian top flight.

A €6 million arrival from Midtjylland in 2019, Onuachu has found the back of the net a whopping 35 times this season, making him one of the best performing centre forwards across Europe, with his contributions in front of goal helping Genk finish second of the Jupiler Pro League.

Onuachu’s performances have not gone unnoticed among the big clubs either, with Liverpool reportedly keen on attaining his services ahead of the upcoming 2021/22 campaign. It appears the Nigerian international has been identified as a potential replacement for Divock Origi, who is widely expected to leave Anfield this summer.

The Reds, however, could face stiff competition from other top clubs across Europe. Arsenal, in particular, were credited with an interest in the Genk forward earlier this year while the report suggests that Sevilla are, in fact, the front-runners ahead of Liverpool in the race to sign Onuachu.

The 26-year-old striker has emerged as Julen Lopetegui’s desired replacement for the attacking duo of Youssef En-Nesyri and Luuk de Jong, both of whom are likely to depart Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in the summer transfer window.

For Liverpool, the addition of Onuachu should add some much-needed depth in the goalscoring department for Jurgen Klopp. The German tactician has had a difficult time finding goals, with Mohamed Salah being the only real spark in an otherwise dire campaign.

Roberto Firmino, in particular, has not been able to offer that goalscoring threat going forward, so someone like Onuachu could certainly offer variety in the Liverpool attack. The Reds, though, are indeed exploring other options as well, and more established ones, in fact, having recently been linked with a shock move for Antoine Griezmann.

However, it remains doubtful whether the Merseyside giants will be able to afford star players without offloading one of theirs. It could ultimately force Liverpool to scour through cost-effective alternatives like Onuachu.

Although it remains unknown as to how much the Nigerian forward could exactly cost this summer, he could certainly be a bargain given the potential he has shown in the Belgian league this season. It, therefore, remains to be seen if Liverpool can leapfrog Sevilla in the race to sign the 26-year-old forward this summer.

The Nigerian indeed dropped the biggest hint yet that he is leaving Racing Genk in the summer transfer window after accidentally revealing that it will be difficult for him to repeat his goalscoring exploits of the 2020-2021 campaign ‘where he is going’.

Onuachu had a sensational campaign, plundering an impressive 35 goals in 41 games for Racing Genk in all competitions, which helped the Limburg club finish second in the Belgian First Division A and win the Belgian Cup.

On Monday, he went home with the Player of the Year and Golden Boot at the Belgian Pro League awards held in Brussels.

“This award means a lot to me because the Belgian championship is a very difficult competition,” the Genk forward said.

Having put himself in the shop window, a transfer is certainly in the offing and already he has been linked with possible moves to the Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1.

Speaking to Genk’s official YouTube page, Onuachu said: “For me, you never know what the future holds but I think scoring a lot of goals this season for KRC Genk and of course my career is going to be one of the most important periods for me.

“It is going to be difficult to say I’m going to repeat it where I am going but I think the players we have in this team really make all this possible for me, but as I said earlier you don’t know what the future holds.
“As it is now I think I’m really happy for the figure I have in the league and of course for KRC Genk”.

The Nigerian international struggled in his first year in Belgium but won the hearts of many after delivering numerous excellent performances
Onuachu has admitted that the Belgian First Division A is a challenging championship, but the determination to push himself beyond the limit helped him become the best in the country.

The 26-year-old only managed nine goals in 22 matches in his maiden campaign last season after completing his switch from Danish side FC Midtjylland.

But his turnaround in fortunes, 12 months later, has been evident for all to see. Onuachu is clear about how he was able to improve his efficiency in front of goal.

“I struggled a bit when I arrived here. At the start of the season, I said to myself that I had to push myself more and give more.

“I am proud of myself and my team, and I am happy to have the support of my companion, who is always behind me.”

Lazio, Sevilla, and Lyon are among the top European clubs already looking to lure Onuachu to one of the continent’s big five leagues.
The big striker, however, refuses to hide his affection for English Premier League giants Arsenal.

“Arsenal is the club of my dreams,” Onuachu continued.

“It is the club that I support, that I like to watch, and whose style of play I like.

“However, I am still in Belgium, and I am still a player of Genk.”

In a record-making year, Onuachu’s 33 league goals make him the first player since Wesley Sonck in the 2001-2002 season to exceed the 30-goal mark.

The forward has two years left on his current contract but he is unsure of seeing out the deal with a number of European clubs believed to be interested in signing him in the summer.

“For me, you never know what the future holds but I think scoring a lot of goals this season for KRC Genk and of course my career is going to be one of the most important periods for me,” Onuachu told the club’s YouTube channel.

“It is going to be difficult to say I’m going to repeat it where I am going but I think the players we have in this team really make all this possible for me, but as I said earlier you don’t know what the future holds.
“As it is now I think I’m really happy for the figure I have in the league and of course for KRC Genk”.

Onuachu has been with Blue and White since the summer of 2019 when he teamed up with the side from Midtjylland.

The attacker delivered scintillating performances in front of goal during his time with the Danish club to earn a move to Genk.

The forward has also been in fine form for the Nigeria national team recently, scoring in each of their previous two games against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho.

His impactful showings helped the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Onuachu has made 11 appearances for the three-time Africa champions and will be expected to replicate his club’s goalscoring performances when the World Cup qualifiers get underway.