Liverpool ‘biding their time’ over bid for Premier League midfielder as £100m valuation decreases

Joe Williams
Liverpool target Ruben Neves takes a shot

Liverpool are still hoping to sign Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves before the end of the transfer window, according to reports.

The Reds have had a disastrous first half of the season with many supporters and pundits blaming Liverpool’s weak midfield for their position in the Premier League table.

A 3-0 loss to Brighton on Saturday has seen Liverpool slip to ninth in the standings, ten points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United and a further nine points behind leaders Arsenal.

James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all out of contract in the summer transfer window, while Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara have faced criticism.

And it is clear Liverpool will have to invest a large sum of money into improving their midfield options over the next couple of transfer windows if they want to challenge for the title next season.

Football Insider claims that Liverpool have ‘turned their attention to a late-window deal’ for Wolves midfielder Neves with his contract expiring in the summer of 2024.

The report claims that the Portugal international, who has been playing well for Wolves for several seasons now, is ‘firmly on the radar of the Merseysiders despite Jurgen Klopp saying his club are unlikely to make another January signing’.

When Klopp was asked on Monday about possible incomings in January, the Liverpool boss told reporters: “Yes, we have to strengthen. Is this the right moment to do it? I can’t see it.”

The report adds that Wolves ‘could be willing to listen to offers’ with his valuation ‘coming down from the “£100million” price tag slapped on him by ex-manager Bruno Lage last April’.

Liverpool are said to be ‘biding time’ before a late January pursuit with sources telling Football Insider that their interest is ‘concrete’.

And Sky Sports presenter Dharmesh Sheth told GiveMeSport that Liverpool are currently “scouring the market” for a new midfielder.

Sheth said: “Potentially, I think they’re looking to bring in one or two midfielders.

“We’ve seen the profile of midfielders that Liverpool have got and we’ve spoken about it before.

“There’s a batch of them who are in their early 30s or approaching 30, and then there’s a batch of them who are really young who are teenagers or are in their early 20s.

“Then you’ve got Naby Keïta, whose future looks uncertain, to say the least, who’s in his peak years between 26 and 28 years old. I just think Liverpool will want to bring in one or two.

“They are scouring the market, make no mistake about it.”

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