Liverpool set to repeat Luiz Diaz transfer trick to sign £45m Thiago Alcântara perfect replacement

Liverpool set to repeat Luiz Diaz transfer trick to sign £45m Thiago Alcântara perfect replacement

Liverpool will be looking to make several additions this summer with midfield an area that needs serious attention.

A number of familiar names are expected to leave Anfield this summer, and new players are expected to replace them. And with one Serie A star who has been compared to a current Reds favorite, Liverpool may strike a steal.

It is obvious that a change will be made to the midfield in the upcoming months since as many as four midfielders—James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, and Arthur Melo—are now on their way out of Liverpool.

Though, Liverpool have made Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham its top target, but with a price tag that might reach £133 million the Reds would be naive to neglect to put together a list of possible alternatives.

Aurélien Tchouaméni rejected Liverpool last summer and instead opted for Real Madrid, but failing to find a replacement quickly turned out to be a mistake, forcing Jürgen Klopp’s staff to make a last-minute move for t Arthur Melo, who joined from Juventus on a season-long loan.

InterLive claims that Klopp is interested in both AC Milan and Inter Milan players Ismael Bennacer and long-rumored target Nicol Barella. The German manager reportedly has both players on his shortlist for this summer.

Bennacer seems like a more affordable choice at a valuation of £45m according to Transfermarkt, although Barella is expected to cost roughly £62m to price him away from from San Siro. The former Arsenal player, who impressed for Empoli before being hand-picked by the seven-time European winners back in 2019, has received excellent reviews since moving to Serie A.

The 25-year-old made 31 league appearances last season as the Rossoneri won their first Scudetto in 11 years. This season, he has made 29 appearances across all competitions, scoring one goal. The midfielder has a solid pedigree and would provide Liverpool’s midfield some much-needed experience with a number of experienced stars expected to leave this summer.

Fascinatingly, according to analytics website FBref, Liverpool’s Thiago Alcântara is the player the Algerian has been most comparable to in the past year throughout Europe’s top five divisions. It makes sense for Klopp to be searching for a comparable talent to ultimately replace the Spanish ace as his contract is set to end in 2024.

Recently, Klopp has brought in replacements for long-standing members of his team before their departures. Luis Dáz and Cody Gakpo, for example, were added before Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, respectively, left the team. Liverpool could be able to pull the same ruse with Bennacer and replace Thiago while he’s still with the team.

The hasty loan signing of Arthur and his subsequent troubles serve as evidence that Liverpool made a mistake by failing to add a midfielder in the previous summer.

In other news, Jurgen Klopp excited as he drops Liverpool transfer hint with new players vow as £60m deal confirmed