Liverpool have not had the most fruitful of seasons in 2022-23. Jurgen Klopp’s side have been a shadow of the team that pushed for a historic quadruple last year, but they have been much-improved of late, building some momentum ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer at Anfield.
The Reds are in need of freshening things up when it comes to their squad. Some of the players in the club’s roster look to be coming to the end of their time on Merseyside, and Klopp has highlighted that new blood is required for his team to catch up with their Premier League rivals. And Liverpool’s biggest issue this year has been their lack of quality in the middle of the park.
Borussia Dortmund linchpin Jude Bellingham was heavily linked with a switch to Anfield but the cost to lure the England international is set to be too much for the Reds this summer due to them needing to acquire several players to propel them back into title contention. Sensible spending is the order of the day and it must be evenly distributed across all their summer business.
On Wednesday, it was reported that Brighton & Hove Albion's Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is regarded as one of Liverpool’s priority targets for next season.
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This doesn’t come as a surprise because the World Cup winner is one of the most sought after players in the world following his exploits in Qatar and it has already been revealed that he is set to depart the Seagulls in the summer for a bigger challenge.
Mac Allister fits the profile of a midfielder in Klopp’s Liverpool team. He is excellent on the ball and offers a lot offensively, but he also doesn’t shy away from his defensive duties and is always strong in the tackle. At 24, he is the perfect age for the Reds to invest in on a long-term basis and he could be a star asset in their midfield for years to come.
Another Premier League big name that the German coach should be looking to make an approach for is West Ham United’s Declan Rice. By many, the England international is viewed as the next best transfer target in midfield to Bellingham ,and Rice has all the attributes to help get Liverpool back on track in the hunt for silverware.
The 24-year-old is already the Hammers captain and his leadership qualities would be a huge addition to the Reds’ dressing room, especially with it looking likely that veteran James Milner will move on at the end of term. Rice brings a calmness to his team and his skill on the ball is something that Liverpool have been lacking all year.
Rice will not be cheap, however. It is estimated any club seeking his signature will need to pay around £80-100 million, even with a year left on his current contract. The fee may be a concern but if they can tie him down to a long-term deal, that will help them cover the transfer cost in staggered payments. With Rice attracting interest from rivals Arsenal, Liverpool would need to be swift if they were to try to lure the West Ham skipper to Merseyside.
Moving across to west London, Liverpool have regularly been linked with Chelsea duo Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher. With the quagmire that the Blues find themselves in right now with a bloated squad and poor results, a huge overhaul is about to take place at Stamford Bridge and these two midfielders could be sent on their way. Klopp is said to hold an interest in the pair for Mount’s creativity and Gallagher’s abundance of energy. With the likes of Milner and Naby Keita set to move on, Liverpool will need quality in depth.
Over on the continent, there are countless midfield superstars in the making ready to be tapped by the Premier League market. Liverpool have been mentioned in the same sentence as midfielders Ryan Gravenberch (20), Kephren Thuram (22) and Manu Kone (21), who play for Bayern Munich, OGC Nice and Borussia Monchengladbach respectively.
Gravenberch is a product of the Ajax academy and has been tipped for big things since a young age. The towering midfielder has found game time hard to come by with German giants Bayern and is believed to be chasing a move away to get more minutes next season. He is thought to have his heart set on Liverpool, with the Reds holding meetings over a potential deal for the Dutchman.
French duo Thuram and Kone have been catching the eye of many clubs in 2022-23 for their robust performances. Thuram is a midfielder who likes to get forward and create chances, but he is not quite tuned to be as strong defensively yet. On the other hand, Kone has demonstrated quality at both aspects and he is also reportedly being tracked by Chelsea and Manchester United.
It is certainly going to be a hectic window for Liverpool, and the club will push to sign as many midfielders as possible. With some very bright young talents linked, the supporters are going to be in for a rollercoaster of a summer and it will soon be time for them to turn their notifications on.
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