The task for Liverpool and new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke couldn’t be clearer – so clear in fact that most within the football bubble are also fully aware of what the Reds need to do this summer.
The first of, hopefully, several steps forward has already been taken with the early acquisition of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton, with a further midfield addition a minimum requirement.
Many expect that to come in the form of Nice’s Khephren Thuram, though the club’s evident interest in Dominik Szoboszlai – with talks reportedly taking place with the player’s representatives (The Athletic) – suggests the Merseysiders could pull off an ambitious double swoop.
Whether that ‘could’ turns into a ‘will’ may be determined by pricing. The asking price for the former of the pair differs wildly between £40-60m, whilst the latter is understood to have a release clause to his name numbering at a steep £60.4m.
Assuming that The Athletic’s valuation of £50m for the Frenchman is closer to the mark, we could see Liverpool complete the rejuvenation of the midfield with another £110m foray into the market.
That would see our total spend shoot up to £145.4m in total, though it still seems like good value given we would have effectively future-proofed the midfield department for the next decade.
After five years spent neglecting the middle of the park (with Thiago Alcantara the sole senior midfield signing in that time) – it’s time to loosen the pursestrings.