Scouting Reported Liverpool Summer Transfer Target Carlos Bacca

Liverpool confirmed the signing of Brazilian attacking midfielder Roberto Firmino on Wednesday morning, and now their attentions must turn to bringing in another striker, so would Sevilla's reported Reds target Carlos Bacca fit the billing?

According to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, the club switched their focus from the overpriced Christian Benteke to Bacca and fellow South American Salomon Rondon this week.

"[Aston] Villa are adamant that Benteke will only be sold if a club triggers his £32 million release clause and Liverpool have no intention of tabling that kind of offer," Pearce wrote.

He later continued: "Colombia international Bacca and Venezuela attacker Rondon are among the names under consideration with both strikers currently in action at the Copa America in Chile. Anfield staff are in attendance at the tournament and have been watching their contribution closely.

"Bacca would be the more expensive option as the Sevilla striker, who scored 28 goals last season, would command a fee of around £20 million."

With Brendan Rodgers in desperate need of a striker this summer, Bacca could be a ready-made solution to Liverpool's attacking problems.

Carlos Bacca

Much like last season's 22-goal Serie A joint-top scorer Luca Toni, Bacca was a late bloomer in top-flight football.

Toni didn't play in the Italian first division until 2004, aged 27, after a 30-goal season and promotion from Serie B with Palermo in 2003/04, but soon became a full senior international with the Azzurri and a household name playing alongside the likes of Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero.

Moves to Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, Roma and Juventus followed, among others, and Toni is still performing exceptionally at 38.

"At 20 I was living in my village, Puerto Colombia, working as a bus driver's assistant. Life was far from easy. Next I had to work as a ticket collector on the buses because I come from a poor family and had to earn money to help them out," Bacca told Marca's Fede Quintero in 2013.

"The doors of football had been closed to me for some time and at my age, it wasn’t something I could count on anymore. But that year I trialled for Junior de Barranquilla and, thank God, they took me."

Quintero notes that it wasn't until Bacca was 23 that he played in the professional league.

"I had a hard time as a child and when I started making money I thought I had made it, but I was wrong," Bacca continued. "I picked myself up and carried on. The brave are not those who let themselves sink but those who rise up stronger." 

A hardy character, Bacca harnessed his sheer mental fortitude and natural footballing talent to rise through the echelons in Europe. Following his strong impact as a professional at Junior, Bacca made the move from Colombia to Belgium in 2012, joining Club Brugge at the age of 25.

The following season, Bacca could be found lining up against Newcastle United in the Europa League, wearing the No. 70 shirt as Brugge first lost 1-0 then drew 2-2 in the group stages.

However, while Newcastle have since plummeted to Premier League turmoil, Bacca has risen to become a key target for a top-four-challenging Liverpool, thanks to his performances for both Brugge and Sevilla.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Joining Sevilla in 2013, for a UEFA.com-reported fee of around £5 million, Bacca took another step to European glory. On his move to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, the striker declared: "I am very happy as this is a dream for me."

He was a long way from Barranquilla.

Having scored 28 goals in 45 appearances for Brugge, Bacca has earned his move, with his goals showcasing his ability as a devastatingly clinical finisher.

For Sevilla, Bacca typically operates in a single-striker system. Manager Unai Emery regularly utilised a 4-2-3-1 formation in 2014/15, with Vitolo, Ever Banega and now-Barcelona winger Aleix Vidal supporting the Colombian up front.

Vitolo and Vidal provided an inside-wide presence to combine with Bacca, while Banega fed the trio with his creative prowess—this saw Bacca's qualities magnified. Last season, Bacca scored 20 goals in 37 La Liga games, as well as seven in 15 Europa League appearances as Sevilla lifted the second-tier European qualification for the second season running.

A well-rounded centre-forward, Bacca can normally be found using his expert movement to drive off the shoulder of opposing defenders, but he is equally as comfortable dropping deep to help build-up play.

His first goal in Sevilla's 2015 Europa League final win over Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk showcased his raw talents perfectly. Driving laterally through the Dnipro back line, Bacca latched on to an exquisite Jose Antonio Reyes through ball, rounded goalkeeper Denys Boyko and slotted home—it was a goal reminiscent of Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge.

Subbing Bacca off after 82 minutes, however, Emery highlighted one key deficiency in the striker's game: He is not a 90-minute, 38-game player, having completed just seven of his La Liga appearances, and just one of his Europa League outings, at an average of 64 minutes per game over both competitions.

Whether this is to accommodate former-Paris Saint-Germain forward Kevin Gameiro or not, Liverpool must consider whether Bacca is a sensible stand-in for the injury-prone Sturridge before they pursue their interest.

However, far from representing a career-tail-end talent, Bacca has adapted his game since moving to Sevilla, too. No longer is he a limited poacher-type striker.

In conversation with UEFA.com in April, Bacca explained how his game had developed under Unai Emery in Seville:

Emery is a very demanding coach, who never lets you relax and always tries to get your peak performance from you – and that has been reflected in my performances. There are qualities which I have added to my game, like defending more, helping the team more.

At my previous clubs, my role was more about scoring, but at Sevilla I have a defensive job to do as well. Sometimes other teams can get on top of you, but by defending you can get better chances to attack, and Emery has showed us that.

I am involved in the game more now; I play more at the back, find space better and get more chances in front of goal.

This philosophy is much in line with that of Rodgers at Liverpool, as Philippe Coutinho detailed to LFCTV back in March during a run of good form for the Reds, as reported by Joe Short of the Express.

"My function is to defend without the ball and that is something our team does well: pressing without the ball," Coutinho explained. "Then, when we've got the ball it is easier."

Coutinho possesses a surprising tenacity, given his stature, and it is this South American fury that spearheads Rodgers' Liverpool attack—first with Luis Suarez, now Coutinho and Firmino. Bacca, while still primarily an off-the-shoulder striker, can add to this defend-from-the-front style. He's far from Suarez-persistent, but there are very few strikers that are, and even less available this summer.

This could see him fit in well on Merseyside.

Where Bacca Would Fit in at Liverpool?

With Sturridge set to remain on the sidelines until "mid-to-late October" following his summer hip surgery, according to Andy Hunter of the Guardian, there is a clear role open for Bacca in Rodgers' Liverpool first team.

Though Danny Ings and Divock Origi, both arriving this summer, are credible centre-forward talents who should enjoy a successful career on Merseyside, neither are true, proven goalscorers. Last season Ings scored 11 Premier League goals for Burnley, while Origi netted eight in Ligue for Lille—understandable, given they're only 22 and 20 years old respectively.

After a miserable 52-team-goal season in 2014/15—50 less than their Suarez-boosted 2013/14 tally—Liverpool need to add a genuine goalscorer to their ranks this summer, and that's exactly where Bacca fits in.

Bacca could take up Sturridge's role in the first team from the start of the season, before rotating with the Englishman, along with Ings and Origi, when required.

His talents would suit Rodgers' regular 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 and 3-4-2-1 formations equally—his comfortability in dropping deep would suit a two-striker system, while his off-the-shoulder runs would see him thrive as a lone striker.

Combining with Coutinho and Firmino, as well as the likes of Lazar Markovic and Jordon Ibe, Bacca would have enough service to feed off, as well as the support required to relieve pressure.

His fitness may be an issue, but given that he averaged 85 minutes per game for Brugge in the Jupiler League in 2012/13, perhaps his situation at Sevilla is more Emery offering Gameiro the peace pipe.

At a rumoured £20 million, signing a soon-to-be 29-year-old Bacca may be considered an above-market-value risk for youth-favouring Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group.

But given his pedigree and suitability to Rodgers' system, this could be a vital investment this summer.

Statistics via WhoScored.com, Soccerway.com and Transfermarkt.co.uk.

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