Ricardo Pepi scored in PSV Eindhoven's 3-2 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League, and if West Ham gets its way, it won't be the last time he comes up against the Reds this season.
That's because the Hammers reportedly lodged a bid for Pepi in the hours after the five-goal thriller at PSV's Philips Stadion. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported that West Ham offered PSV a package totalling €25million ($26m) for Pepi, but the bid was apparently rejected.
Liverpool itself has been linked with a move for Pepi this season, with Caught Offside reporting in November that the Reds were showing the strongest interest in signing the United States international out of a group of clubs that included Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid.
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It was reported that Liverpool scouts viewed Pepi as a good fit for Arne Slot's team due to his technical and mental qualities. The youngster has registered 18 goals and three assists in 29 appearances in all competitions this season.
Meanwhile, Pepi spoke of the challenge of playing against Liverpool after Wednesday night's five-goal encounter. “No matter what team they [Liverpool] have, the first or second team, we know that they have quality players," Pepi said. "It's nice to play against teams like this. I think [the debutants] were amazing to be honest, congrats to them. But everyone put in a decent performance, so that was good.
“I just try to stay focused and fill in my role. At the end of the day, I'm a striker, so I'm going to score goals. I don't know how I do it. I just prepare and train my craft.”
