On Tuesday, Real Madrid announced that they’d agreed on a deal to sign the highly-rated Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco.
The 22-year-old was thought to be a target for Liverpool, who had been impressed by the Frenchman’s performances in Ligue 1 this season. However, it’s ultimately been Los Blancos that have won the race to land his signature for an eye-watering fee in the region of £80million.
Liverpool may yet continue their hunt for a new midfielder as Jurgen Klopp looks to bolster his options ahead of the new season, and bringing in a profile similar to that of Tchouameni could be a priority. Mirror Football has highlighted three players who the Reds can target instead this summer, with days remaining until the window opens.
Yves Bissouma - Brighton
Brighton ’s Bissouma has been attracting attention from a number of big clubs for the best part of two years. Although the 25-year-old is not a headline-grabber in terms of goals or assists, he reads the game excellently and is extremely mobile, making him a master at sweeping up danger in front of the defence. Only four Premier League midfielders could boast a better defensive duel success rate (66.48 per cent) last season.
It’s impressive not only how quickly he can stop an opponent’s attack, but also the speed with which he can then launch them the other way, as he’s an excellent direct passer of the ball. Many expect Bissouma to move this summer, and Anfield could be the ideal destination.
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Ibrahim Sangare - PSV
Sangare is regarded as one of the best midfielders plying his trade outside of Europe’s big five leagues and many are tipping him to move on from PSV this summer. From a Liverpool perspective, he ticks many boxes in that he’s athletic and, like Bissouma, is excellent at reading the game. Last season, only one Eredivisie midfielder could better his possession-adjusted interceptions average of 9.14 per 90 minutes.
The 24-year-old is also composed on the ball and able to play through the lines when opportunities present themselves, highlighted by the fact he ranked inside the league’s top 10 midfielders in terms of playing the highest number of progressive passes per 90 last season. He could prove to be a much cheaper option for Liverpool this summer.
Florian Neuhaus - Borussia Monchengladbach
With just two years left on his current contract, Monchengladbach are hitting a critical period with Neuhaus. They will ideally want to get him tied down on a new deal now, or they risk losing him for either a reduced fee next summer or nothing at all the year after. This could play right into Liverpool’s hands.
The 25-year-old dominates in most defensive duels, despite a perception that he’s a little slower and less agile than other names mentioned on the list. Yet the fact there were only four Bundesliga midfielders who played over 1000 minutes that could better his defensive duel success rate (66.18 per cent) last season speaks volumes.
Despite his deep positioning, Neuhaus also has a knack for getting on the scoresheet, scoring a combined 14 league goals across the last three Bundesliga campaigns. It’s easy to see why he could be an excellent addition to the Liverpool squad this summer.
