Liverpool receive bright GREEN light to move for world class midfielder

Liverpool's midfield is littered with quality and it is nothing short of remarkable that such a transformation was pulled off in just one transfer window back in 2023.

Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all arrived on Merseyside as part of a wholesale refurbishment of the club's engine room. They joined Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, while Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Naby Keita were all let go.

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After making such a bold move in the transfer market, Liverpool received their rewards almost straightaway, by securing an EFL cup while staying in the title race until the last few games last season.

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This time around however, Endo has been moved to the sidelines, with Gravenberch given a more prominent role in the squad, and under Arne Slot's leadership, the players are firing on all cylinders once again, having secured another EFL cup final, whilst leading the Premier League and securing a place in the Champions League knockout rounds.

And while the team looks in great shape, with the players managing to mostly stay fit up until this point, there is a temptation to add one more midfielder to the group next season - a player who can be fielded as a No8, who also can facilitate a No6 role from time to time. According to the latest reports Spanish reports, Liverpool might have found their latest target.

Liverpool hold talks with Barcelona for De Jong

The latest report from ElNacional suggests that Barcelona are entertaining a move for Frenkie De Jong, and Liverpool are a team that has openly declared their interest in him.

It reads: "According to sources close to the negotiations, Deco [Barcelona's sporting director] has already held talks with Liverpool representatives to explore the possibility of a transfer. Barca will not let De Jong go for any price and will ask for at least 40 million euros to consider his sale."

Now, on the face of it, this seems like a bizarre piece of news. De Jong is one of the standout midfielders in world football and Barcelona must surely want to keep hold of him. That much is true.

But the reality of the situation is that the Dutchman is only contracted until 2026, meaning he will leave Spain on a free transfer at the end of next season if a contract extension cannot be agreed.

In turn, while his long-term future lacks certainty, it would make sense for clubs to begin speculating about a move for him because the Dutchman leaving for a transfer fee in the summer would be a significantly more enticing option for Barcelona than a move for free in 12 months.

Given the Spanish giants' financial difficulties, selling De Jong could be beneficial in the long run to avoid further financial fair-play breaches.

Liverpool have always been great admirers of 'opportunistic transfers' and for just €40m (£33.3m), the Reds could finally add the missing piece to their midfield squadron, patching up any slight vulnerabilities the team has.

At 27 years old, De Jong has proven over several years that he is a world-class player, who can deliver when called upon and a place in Liverpool's ranks would have him featuring regularly alongside his national team teammates in Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Virgil Van Dijk, while having a fellow countryman in Arne Slot as his manager.

Of course, his wages would be an important consideration in any potential deal, as his salary is currently one of the highest at Barcelona, but Anfield Watch's latest exclusive suggests that the team could be in for a significant rebuild this summer, which might free up some funds to make the move happen.

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For the time being, Barcelona will be looking at doing everything they can to extend his contract and not his situation remain unresolved by the summer. But if it is, then Liverpool could already have the upper hand for a statement move.

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