This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Liverpool have slapped a £17 million pound price tag on Japanese international and Fulham transfer target Takumi Minamino.

As per BBC Sport, the forward is attracting transfer interest from a number of clubs, with the Reds prepared to let him go for a fee in the region of the above figure.

Minamino made 24 appearances in all competitions for the Reds in 2021/22, scoring 10 goals in those matches.

With Fulham a reported admirer of Minamino as they look to strengthen their squad following promotion from the Championship, we asked some of our writers here at FLW whether or not a deal for the Japanese international was worth pursuing for the Cottagers at the above asking price.

Declan Harte

Minamino has been a solid squad player for Liverpool, but has never really lived up to the initial expectation that he arrived with.

His time at Southampton highlighted that he is capable of competing for a mid-table top flight side.

But a price tag of £17 million does seem a stretch considering he signed for the Reds for a £7.25 million release clause in January 2020 and has never been more than a rotation option for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

It would be worth Fulham’s time keeping tabs on alternatives during any negotiations in the event that the Cottagers cannot bring that price down this summer.

While he would be a good signing, there are plenty of players that Fulham could bring in for a smaller fee.

Carla Devine

I think based on this price tag Fulham should still try and pursue the deal for Minamino. Although he hasn’t got as much game time as he would’ve hoped for Liverpool, he has generally been able to perform.

Despite making only 11 Premier League appearances this season, the 27-year-old was still able to score three goals and if you put him in a side where he was getting regular football, he could easily score more.

He’s a proven talent at this level and could really excel at a club like Fulham. Due to their promotion this season, it’s not a figure that seems totally unreasonable to ask for.

However, if their bid is rejected and they’re trying to be pushed higher I think that’s at the stage where Fulham turn around and spend some time considering the decision.

Charlie Gregory

To be honest, I think £17m for Minamino is somewhat of a steal to a team like Fulham.

A record of 10 goals in 24 games suggests he could do plenty more given regular football and action. The reason he hasn’t produced much more is arguably because he hasn’t played much more either.

The player though has shown in the past and during his loan spell with Southampton that he can be a very good player in the top flight. With a team like Fulham, where he could get regular football too, he could thrive even more.

I think regardless of how much he costs, Minamino is exactly the type of signing a newly-promoted side like Fulham should be making.