Alongside Jude: Liverpool handed potential boost over midfield target from Klopp’s former club

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Liverpool have seemingly been handed a boost to their reported hopes of signing Anton Stach from Mainz.

According to 90min last month, the Reds were among several Premier League clubs to have scouted the midfielder, whose contract at the Bundesliga side expires in 2024.

The Anfield giants have been intensely linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, and it seems they’ve an eye on another midfield target from a club previously managed by Jurgen Klopp.

Sky Deutschland have reported that Stach is open to leaving Mainz as he targets a place in the Germany squad for Euro 2024, when Hansi Flick’s team will be tournament hosts, and Die Nullfünfer could accept bids of just £10m for the 24-year-old.

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What could Liverpool fans expect from the twice-capped German if he were to rock up at Anfield?

Unsurprisingly for a towering 6 foot 4 midfielder, he’s a dominant presence in the air. WhoScored cite that as one of his strongest attributes, and the numbers back it up – he’s won 2.6 headers per game this season, more than anyone in the current Reds squad.

He also excels at breaking up opposition attacks on the ground, placing in the 97th percentile for interceptions among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months (as per FBref).

Interestingly, FBref‘s similar players model cites Bellingham as one of the most comparable footballers to Stach, which seems like quite the feather in the 24-year-old’s cap.

Liverpool will have their eyes on multiple midfield additions in the summer, you would hope, but a £10m swoop for a physically dominant Bundesliga regular who seems open to a fresh challenge could be some very smart business worth exploring as an alternative to the England star.

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