da brdice： Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a potential move for AC Milan central midfielder Ismael Bennacer ahead of the January transfer window.
The Lowdown: Midfielder wanted
da premier bet： The Reds have been strongly linked with FIFA World Cup stars Enzo Fernandez, Jude Bellingham and Sofyan Amrabat in recent days, so it is clear that they would like to bring in an elite midfielder ahead of January.
The contracts of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all expire in the summer, along with Arthur Melo’s loan deal, while both Thiago and Jordan Henderson are in their 30s, so the middle of the park could do with a revamp.
The Latest: Bennacer interest
As per Italian news outlet Calciomercato, the Anfield outfit are ‘monitoring’ Bennacer’s situation at Milan ‘carefully’ ahead of January, alongside fellow Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
The Serie A giants want to give him a new bumper contract, as his current one expires in 2024, but it is not guaranteed that he will sign, having also recently changed his agent.
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The Verdict: Quality alternative
Bennacer would certainly represent a quality alternative for Jurgen Klopp, should he not be able to sign the likes of Fernandez, Bellingham or Amrabat.
Hailed as an ‘absolutely unbelievable’ player by journalist Sam Tighe, the Algeria international ranks in the 94th percentile for shot-creating actions, 93rd for tackles, 88th for dribbles completed and 85th for progressive passes per game out of all of his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year (FBRef), and importantly he is thought to be someone that Klopp is a ‘great admirer’ of.
The German and his team would have had a glimpse of Bennacer in their 4-1 win over Milan in a friendly last week, where the 25-year-old came on in the second half, and scored his side’s opening spot-kick in Liverpool’s penalty shootout win.
Sharing a similar playing style to Thiago, Bennacer could be the 31-year-old’s long-term successor at Anfield, should the Reds be able to get a deal done.