Potentially finally getting their man, Liverpool and Arne Slot have reportedly set their sights on signing a Serie A midfielder who former manager Jurgen Klopp wanted during his tenure.
Liverpool transfer news
Ahead of the current campaign, Liverpool’s biggest concern was still at the base of their midfield. After failing to sign Martin Zubimendi, Slot was forced to get creative and find an instant internal solution. And so, in came Ryan Gravenberch. The Dutchman was often left to battle for a place from the bench under Klopp, before coming on in a more advanced role, but those struggles have since been forgotten thanks to Slot’s genius.
Stepping back into the defensive midfield role, Gravenberch has been one of the Premier League players of the season and has been a true revelation for Liverpool to solve their problem once and for all. With their defensive midfield issues solved, the Reds now have the chance to turn their attention towards completing the centre of Slot’s side once and for all in 2025.
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According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Slot and Liverpool are now eyeing a move to sign Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, but face competition from Tottenham Hotspur to sign a player that Klopp reportedly wanted to sign during his Anfield tenure last year.
Seemingly a long-term target, the Reds could finally get their man and complete their midfield next year. A fellow Dutchman, Reijnders and Gravenberch may form quite the partnership for club and country if the former completes a move to Anfield in the next year.
Having only just arrived at AC Milan in the summer of 2024, however, it remains to be seen whether the Serie A giants will open the door for their midfielder to depart so soon after he put pen to paper.
"Great" Reijnders could replace Szoboszlai
The most recent question mark in Liverpool’s midfield has surrounded Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian has been forced to battle for his place alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Gravenberch against Curtis Jones, who is finding form under Slot. With his place more under threat than ever before in Merseyside, Reijnders’ arrival would arguably leave Szoboszlai fighting a losing battle.
Starts
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7
Progressive Carries
26
22
Progressive Passes
52
28
Ball Recoveries
22
36
Under Slot, Reijnders’ ability on the ball could quickly prove to be a more useful asset than Szoboszlai’s work out of possession due to the Dutchman’s attempts to create a more controlled Liverpool side compared to Klopp’s previous pressing, offensive machine.
Still just 24 years old, the former RB Leipzig man has plenty of time to adapt to life under Slot, but links to Reijnders will far from help. Described as “great” by Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman, the AC Milan star is more than ready for a Premier League move and, on paper, seemingly fits the criteria for what Anfield has so far come to expect from a Slot midfielder.