There’s almost too many names to mention when it comes to Liverpool’s possible midfield targets this summer and one name who was hotly tipped last season, has come back into the latest round of rumours.
Writing for The Athletic, James Pearce said: ‘It wasn’t so long ago that Youri Tielemans was being talked about as one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League. Leicester’s poor form — coupled with a recent ankle injury — has meant the spotlight has moved away from the Belgian, but his talents remain.
‘Tielemans’ skill set on the ball is where he excels, regularly receiving in deeper areas and punching passes up to team-mates ahead of him — with his 7.3 progressive passes per 90 minutes placing him in the top 10 per cent of Premier League midfielders.
READ MORE: 21-year-old ‘no longer considered’ as summer transfer option for Liverpool – report
‘Liverpool didn’t fancy him when he was available at a cut price last summer when he had a year to go on his contract. The fact he would be available as a free agent this time makes him a possible option, as they could channel their resources elsewhere.
‘Having said that, signing Tielemans — who turns 26 next month — would be a surprising move given the other midfielders the club are looking at’.
It seems hard to believe that we could be so closely linked with the 25-year-old last summer but now things have gone very quiet, given that the player is still going to be at the peak of his powers.
Injuries and a poor campaign for his team will obviously be the easy way to answer why the Reds would no longer be interested but with a clear push to step away from Jude Bellingham so we could collect several players – rather than just one – should make this move a contender.
The Belgian clearly possesses talent and working under Jurgen Klopp would only make him a better player, while you would also assume he would be happy to fight for game time – rather than be guaranteed a game in a relegation battle.
Injury records are important though and after the luck we have with many of our players, let’s hope that the main reason we’re possibly stepping away from this deal is down to durability.