Liverpool 'suffer blow' as club rule out summer move for 23-year-old forward

There is currently a host of speculation surrounding the 23-year-old's future, with Liverpool believed to have identified him as a transfer target ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Kubo has a €60m (£51m) release clause in his current deal at Real Sociedad, and recent reports have claimed that negotiations with Liverpool are advancing.

However, the Basque club's president has said that "there are no negotiations with any club" and has insisted that the attacker "is very happy" at Anoeta Stadium.

"There is no issue. There are no negotiations with any club," he told Mundo Deportivo. "We're in the market, anything can happen, but Take is very happy here and he's going to continue. We love him very much, let's hope he stays at La Real forever."

How has Kubo performed for Real Sociedad?

Kubo made the move to Real Sociedad from Real Madrid in 2022, and he has represented the club on 85 occasions in all competitions, scoring 16 goals and registering 14 assists in the process.

Last season, the attacker scored seven goals and registered five assists in 41 appearances, including seven goals and four assists in 30 outings in Spain's top flight.

Kubo featured on eight occasions in the Champions League last term, meanwhile, and he is viewed as a vital player for the club moving forward, with his contract running until June 2029.

Reports that Liverpool are willing to trigger the forward's release clause are said to be wide of the mark, with Kubo expected to stay with his current side for at least one more season.

Who else has been linked with Kubo?

Manchester United are thought to be long-term admirers of the attacker, while Real Madrid were also linked with a move for their former youngster earlier this year, before his new contract was signed.

"I am very happy to be able to renew with this great club, which has welcomed me very well and in which I am very happy," Kubo told Real Sociedad TV after signing his new deal.

"My wish is to continue growing hand in hand with this team, for many things, but above all for the good feeling I have with my teammates, with the fans, with the sports management, with everyone."

Kubo turned out for Barcelona's academy between 2011 and 2015, but the club were later found to have violated FIFA's international transfer policy, leading to him returning to Japan.

The forward then moved to Real Madrid in 2019, but he was unable to make the breakthrough at Bernabeu and joined Real Sociedad on a permanent basis after loan spells with Mallorca, Villarreal and Getafe.