Liverpool need to sign multiple midfielders this summer after a mass departure and have reportedly earmarked Leicester City's Youri Tielemans, who is soon to be out of contract.
What's the latest on Youri Tielemans to Liverpool?
That's according to 90min's Graeme Bailey on the Talking Transfers podcast, who said that the Belgium international is a player that Reds manager Jurgen Klopp 'loves'.
A few months ago, Football Insider claimed that Liverpool were 'plotting a move' for the 26-year-old, while more recently The Athletic's James Pearce stated that his signing is indeed a possibility.
Tielemans recently posted a heartfelt farewell post to the Foxes confirming his departure at the end of his contract, and with Liverpool's new technical director Jorg Schmadtke seeking reinforcement after James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all concluded their contracts at Anfield, his signature could be a prudent one to procure.
Should Liverpool sign Youri Tielemans?
Tielemans and Leicester have not enjoyed an auspicious season by any stretch of the imagination, having been relegated from the Premier League after a miserable slump of a season.
However, Liverpool have found success in swooping for players confined to the drop before: Andy Robertson was clinched from Hull City and Gini Wijnaldum brought from Newcastle United, both players having fallen foul to the clamp of the bottom three and playing central roles in the most illustrious period in the Merseyside team's modern history.
The £35k-per-week Fox is also one of the most intelligent and dynamic midfielders in the game, once heralded by former Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers as "one of Europe's top midfielders".
Also hailed as "the complete midfield player" by Martin Keown, the one-time Anderlecht youth has still maintained an average Sofascore rating of 7.04 despite his club's woes, completing 82% of his passes, averaging one key pass and 2.1 tackles per game.
And as for the entirety of his career at the King Power Stadium, he has been instrumental in winning the FA Cup and Community Shield, actually scoring a resounding strike against Chelsea in the finale of the former to clinch the trophy, once praised as a "phenomenon" by former pro Par Zetterberg.
He could be the dream Thiago Alcantara heir on Merseyside, with the 32-year-old pass master signing from Bayern Munich for £20m in 2020 and being hailed as "staggering" for his ball-playing prowess by Michael Owen, indeed ranking among the top 3% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted and the top 4% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.
Like Thiago, Tielemans is, perhaps, not the most mobile of aces, instead flourishing through his occupation of the half-spaces and indeed utilising his footballing intellect to pick apt passes and exhibit his superlative technicality.
While Liverpool supporters are yearning for a more robust and energetic midfield, and that is not to say Tielemans cannot contribute effectively in this regard, his composure and guile could meld exquisitely alongside the likes of the unrelenting Alexis Mac Allister, who is on the verge of entering the conclusive stage with the Reds from Brighton & Hove Albion.
This is why his role as Thiago's heir could bear fruit for Klopp and co, who would only benefit from a diverse and variegated midfield – aces different in style but all boasting a similar level of quality.
And while Liverpool's Spanish maestro is "a special player" – as proclaimed by Robertson – he has spent what feels like the lion's share of his time at Anfield cuffed to the injury department, indeed missing a shocking 60 matches due to unavailability over three seasons. Hardly evoking confidence.
Tielemans would be a "divine" addition – as he was once lauded by Jaquob Crooke – providing a new dimension to Klopp's squad and without the diminution of the transfer purse, something that could prove invaluable with Liverpool requiring major midfield surgery.
It's a no-brainer, really; Tielemans has proved throughout his Leicester career that he can dazzle with consistency and produce match-winning and trophy-gleaning moments. Just what Liverpool need.
