Liverpool's summer transfer targets are set to come into focus, with their midfield overhaul showing signs of entering its final stages following recent developments.
Jurgen Klopp is expected to continue investment in his midfield, with the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton having got the Reds off to a great start in the summer window. And now the path to his next signing has become clearer as his shortlist continues to whittle down.
Khephren Thuram and Nicolo Barella have both been named as Liverpool targets, with the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain creating space in midfield to be filled. However, Barella is expected to command a fee in the region of roughly £68m, a hefty outlay for a club who will be without Champions League football next season.
Another player who could command a significant fee would be Hungarian playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai, with the 22-year-old having impressed with RB Leipzig. However, negotiations are reported to be 'complicated', with Reds transfer chiefs admitting that it will be 'very difficult' to secure a deal.
This leaves Thuram as a more realistic option, a prospect which should excite Reds' fans nonetheless, with the Nice midfielder having been impressive this season and playing for his country. Another reported French target, Manu Kone, was injured playing for France's U21 side, a development which could potentially rule him out of the running for Liverpool's midfield overhaul.
This comes after Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch, who had drawn comparisons to Jude Bellingham, announced his intentions to remain in Germany. The Dutchman had been seen as a cut-price option, with Bayern keen to recoup his original £16.3 million fee from last summer following limited action during his first season with the Bavarian giants.
This will leave Jurgen Klopp looking inwards, towards his current crop of midfield talent, with Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott both having played extensive roles within his line-up last season. Both have been impressive on recent international duty, with their good form for England's U21s demonstrating the strength of Klopp's emerging talent.
Jones in particular has drawn praise from Klopp, with the 22-year-old having become a consistent starter in the team during their Premier League run-in. Following a goalscoring performance in a 3-0 win against Leicester, where the Reds academy product scored a brace, Klopp reserved praise for his young charge.
He said: “He improved a lot, so I think a lot of things came together. You should not forget he is still a young boy and one or two years ago he played super games for us as well.
"Then he had a difficult spell with injuries, that's true – strange injuries, a finger in the eye and stuff like this. It took him out for a real while, but this year was especially bad.
“He could watch a lot of football, he could understand the game better and it looks really like that. I think where he improved the most is counter-pressing, it's exceptional, and speed of play. He doesn't keep the ball that long anymore – he does that, and has to do in moments, but he is much quicker in decision-making and stuff like this.
“That he is a good finisher, we saw now a couple of times, both goals were absolutely exceptional. I am not sure they were real chances. First with the left foot, a similar goal to the last goal he scored [against Tottenham ]. The second one is a super finish. He is in a good moment, really cool.”
