Liverpool transfer news: Reds back in for £34m Georgiy Sudakov

Liverpool are back in the race for Georgiy Sudakov, according to reports. The Reds were supposedly close to getting him in the summer.

Calciomercato claims Liverpool are in the market for Georgiy Sudakov. The 21-year-old midfielder is one of the most impressive players in Ukrainian football right now - if not the most impressive.

Sudakov was named Ukrainian Footballer of the Year by Komander1 in his homeland for 2023 after a fantastic season for champions Shakhtar Donetsk. The youngster scored five times from midfield and assisted another seven - and that's in a season he started as a 19-year-old.

And so the Italian outlet understands that there is a race for Sudakov that is seriously heating up. Both Napoli and Juventus hope to sign him, while Liverpool are also there in the fight. Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich also like the look of the player.

Shakhtar would want a minimum of €40m (£34m) to let him go, though. It remains to be seen if anyone is willing to offer that right now.

But perhaps the most interesting note in the article is the claim that Liverpool were 'one step' from signing Sudakov in the summer. There was zero talk of that back in the transfer window, though it seems like a very strange line to pluck out of thin air.

And Liverpool were certainly looking at midfielders this summer. Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch all arrived as on-ball midfield options and Sudakov is of a similar mold.

Given Gravenberch is the same age - and arrived as a very late signing - it's entirely possible that Sudakov was on the same shortlist. Perhaps the Ukrainian was an alternative.

What's less easy to figure out is why Liverpool would return to the market for another on-ball midfielder. Curtis Jones has really come into his own this season, adding another option for Jurgen Klopp. Then there's Harvey Elliott.

The only way it really makes sense is if Thiago was supposed to play a key role in the gameplan this season but hasn't been able to because of injuries. If the same plan still exists, then Klopp may want a replacement in his squad for next season, given the Spaniard will almost certainly leave with the end of his contract in June.