Liverpool given fresh hope over January raid for £100m wizard who Andoni Iraola dubbed ‘amazing’

Liverpool have seemingly been given fresh hope of signing one of their primary transfer targets when the market reopens in January.

The Merseyside club have lured several marquee names from Bournemouth in multiple capacities over the past two-and-a-half years, including Richard Hughes as (now former) sporting director, Milos Kerkez at left-back and Andoni Iraola as head coach.

The Reds could turn to the Vitality Stadium once more to bolster their playing ranks, and their chances of a fresh raid on the Cherries would appear to be plausible.

Liverpool in a ‘strong position’ to sign Alex Scott

As reported by Nizaar Kinsella for BBC Sport, Bournemouth are open to selling Alex Scott in January if any prospective suitor were to offer £100m, having maintained until recently that the midfielder wasn’t for sale at any price.

Liverpool are said to be in a ‘strong position’ to sign the 23-year-old because of the ‘close relationships’ between Iraola and the south coast club, with Chelsea also persevering with their interest.

The player rejected two contract offers at the Vitality Stadium at the end of last season and has been ‘pushing to leave’ the Cherries.

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Scott would add a relentless presence to Liverpool’s midfield

Iraola knows all about Scott from having coached him at Bournemouth, and the Basque waxed lyrical about an ‘amazing‘ performance from the 23-year-old when his side won at Arsenal in April.

The recent England debutant was described by Tactical Football Analysis as a ‘press-resistant, ball-carrying central midfielder who links phases and helps his team progress the ball from midfield into the final third’.

Scott is a tireless worker off the ball, with Opta Analyst noting that he made more tracking back runs than anyone else in the Premier League last season (184), and his ball-winning ability in the midfield engine room is a quality that Liverpool have missed since Fabinho’s exit in 2023.

We don’t doubt that Iraola would love to be reunited with the 23-year-old, and although Bournemouth seem to be holding out for £100m, they might yet feel compelled to accept a lower amount if the player has no intention of signing a new contract on the south coast.

The Reds must do all that they can to leverage their head coach’s prior relationship with the midfielder, especially with the window of opportunity for a January raid appearing to be wide open.