It appears that Liverpool’s spending for the summer transfer window is all but done. With the three signings of Calvin Ramsay, Fabio Carvalho & Darwin Nunez, Liverpool have addressed some key areas in their squad. However, a lot of Liverpool fans still remain unsatisfied with their business as they expected more.
Central midfield is the position that you hear Liverpool fans talk about all the time. With Naby Keita & Thiago Alcantara’s track record for injuries, it’s not hard to understand why Liverpool fans were hoping for an investment within that position.
Liverpool reportedly tried to sign Aurelien Tchouameni from AS Monaco, however the French midfielder signed for Real Madrid instead.
This clearly shows that Liverpool were looking at bringing in a midfielder at the start of the transfer window. Now that one of their targets is unattainable, who should Liverpool be looking at next?
Jude Bellingham – 19 – Borussia Dortmund
Jude Bellingham is of course the obvious choice when looking at midfielders. The English midfielder registered a total of 6 goals & 14 assists across all competitions last season.
When looking at Liverpool’s current midfield options, the biggest flaw is that there aren't enough goal contributions within it. Bellingham offers unpredictability when playing in midfield & can operate both centrally whilst drifting out to a wider position.
When looking at how Klopp started last season with Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott & Mo Salah forming a triangle down that right hand side, it doesn’t take a genius to work out how Jude Bellingham would slot into this Liverpool side. Jurgen Klopp spoke out about the Jude Bellingham links saying “He’s not on the market. So that’s the first problem with that player. Well, that’s my only problem with that player!” hinting that Bellingham is a complete football player that he admires a lot.
Those comments haven’t put an end to the speculation however. Fabrizio Romano took to his YouTube channel & said “Liverpool actually held talks with Dortmund a few weeks back. Dortmund’s response was that the player is untouchable for now. However, Liverpool are still thinking of the player & Jurgen Klopp is a big fan.” This report suggests that Liverpool are certainly interested in the 19 year old sensation, but a move in this transfer window is extremely unlikely. According to reliable German outlet BILD, Dortmund have set their asking price at €120,000,000 which is around £102,000,000.
Signing Bellingham for anything close to that fee would absolutely smash Liverpool’s current transfer record, but with Bellingham still in his teen years, it would definitely be good value for money. He could be the heart of Liverpool’s midfield for at least a decade.
Nicolo Barella – 25 – Inter Milan
Next on my list is Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella. If Liverpool do miss out on Jude Bellingham to another team such as Real Madrid, Nicolo Barella is the perfect option in my opinion.
The Italian played in 35 Serie A games last season whilst averaging 50 passes per game, with a pass accuracy of 85%. Barella was able to rack up an impressive 13 assists to help Napoli finish a very respectable 3rd place finish. Similarly to Bellingham, Barella offers a range of versatility that would be very useful to Liverpool’s system.
He can play pretty much anywhere across the midfield, but his primary position is a right sided 8. He likes to attack & create openings, but he can also play in a deeper role if required.
There are many conflicting reports on how much Inter Milan would be willing to accept for Barella, but it seems like it would take a bid between £70mil - £90mil to lure the Italian international away from Inter Milan.
Matheus Nunes – 23 – Sporting Lisbon
Liverpool’s last two major signings have both come from the Primeira Liga, so why not continue that trend? Matheus Nunes is a 23 year old midfielder who currently plays for Sporting Lisbon.
Nunes usually plays in a double pivot which would be good for Liverpool if they were to shift to a 4-2-3-1 in the future. Nunes is the more advanced midfielder in the two who likes to drive forward with the ball & to create chances. He still comes back to do the ‘dirty work’ when his side aren’t in possession of the ball.
He has an incredible passing range being able to play a variety of different passes to his teammates. He is a complete midfielder playing in the Primeira Liga.
With him not being at one of the top leagues in Europe, I believe he would be sold for a reasonable fee compared to other midfielders who are already in the bigger leagues. It has been reported that Sporting Lisbon would be willing to discuss bids above £50,000,000.
Luka Sucic – 19 – RB Salzburg
Luka Sucic is a 19 year old Croatian midfielder who currently plays for RB Salzburg. Sucic scored 11 goals whilst assisting 5 times across all competitions last season for Salzburg, including a Champions League goal against Sevilla.
Sucic’s very impressive season has caught the eye of many top clubs & it’s surely a matter of time before the Croatian gets a big move. He has been dubbed as Luka Modric 2.0 which is quite the comparison. Similar to other midfielders that I have mentioned, Sucic can play as a number 8, or more advanced as a number 10.
I would be very surprised if Liverpool weren’t monitoring his situation at Salzburg, especially when you consider how much he is likely to be sold for. Reports suggest that the 19 year old will be available for a fee of £20,000,000 which could prove to be a bargain for whoever decides to sign him.
So they’re my top four choices for midfielders that I believe Liverpool should be targeting, but what other position do they need to strengthen in? In all honesty, I don’t believe there’s much else. In my opinion, I believe Liverpool are literally just a central midfielder short from having the most complete squad in the Premier League. But if there was another area where I think Liverpool could strengthen, it would be at right wing.
Mohammed Salah committing his long term future to Liverpool means that they don’t have to worry about bringing in a top class forward to replace him. But following the departure of Takumi Minamino, I do believe that Liverpool should be in for another forward, especially with Harvey Elliott being used in midfield.
Noni Madueke – 20 – PSV
Noni Madueke is an English right winger who currently plays for PSV. He started off his football playing for Crystal Palace’s youth team, before making a switch to Tottenham’s youth team in 2014. Whilst being a very talented young player,
Madueke was hungry to play football. In the 2018 summer transfer window, Madueke signed for PSV in a permanent deal after rejecting an offer from Manchester United.
Madueke offers a lot of pace, trickery, whilst being a direct player. One of the big pros to signing Madueke, is that he fits the home grown rule perfectly.
However when looking at his next move, Madueke will more than likely want to be a guaranteed starter & of course Liverpool can not offer him that right now. But if he was willing to move to a top club & fight for his place, then I believe it would be a great signing for the reds. It is reported that PSV have placed a £40,000,000 price tag on the 20 year old which could be a potential stumbling block.
Yeremy Pino – 19 – Villarreal
Another very exciting forward that I believe Liverpool could look at, is 19 year old Yeremy Pino. In June 2017, Yeremy was offered the chance to sign for Barcelona, but decided to join Villarreal’s first team after playing in their academy for two seasons.
This was obviously a bold decision from the young Spaniard who was hoping to grow as a player, and not become another squad player at a bigger side. This decision from Yeremy turned out to be a huge success as his impressive form at Villarreal has earned him four international caps for Spain.
He is a small winger who plays with lots of flair, with a low sense of gravity. He’s more of a creator than a goal scorer which is something that Liverpool could be lacking going into the new season.
This move won't be cheap however due to the Spanish side including a £66,000,000 release clause in his latest contract which replaced the £30,000,000 that was included in his first professional contract. Manchester City are also rumoured to be eyeing up the forward.
So they’re the six players that I would personally like to see Liverpool target in the near future. Like I previously mentioned, any more incomings this season is highly unlikely, but not impossible. The transfer window is far from over & anything can happen in football. Even if Liverpool don’t make any moves this summer, we know how long Liverpool tend to scout their targets to plan for the future transfer windows. I am personally expecting something big in Summer 2023 especially when looking at midfielders’
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