Liverpool ‘willing to submit’ £42m ‘offer’ for Stuttgart man as Hughes prepares £51m bid for Serie A star
Liverpool are lining up moves for Atalanta’s Ederson and Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller ahead of the summer, according to reports.
The Reds are having a brilliant season in the Premier League with Arne Slot guiding them to top spot in the table as Liverpool enter their final nine matches.
Arsenal closed the gap to nine points on Liverpool on Tuesday night by beating Fulham but the Reds extended it back to 12 points with a win over Everton on Wednesday.
Liverpool exited the Champions League and lost the League Cup final before the international break and Slot will be pleased that they bounced back against the Toffees.
The futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk has been the main distraction this season with all three Liverpool stars out of contract in the summer.
Alexander-Arnold now looks set to join Real Madrid in the summer, while there has been speculation that Van Dijk and Salah could leave too.
And Liverpool are already turning their attention to improvements they can make to Slot’s squad with Spanish website Fichajes insisting that the Reds are ‘closely monitoring’ the development of Stuttgart defensive midfielder Stiller.
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The report adds:
‘It’s no coincidence that his name has begun to be heard in the Premier League, where Liverpool is emerging as one of the most interested teams in securing his services.
‘From England, the team managed by Arne Slot sees the young midfielder as an opportunity to strengthen their squad with a player with great potential. According to sources close to the club, the Reds are willing to submit an offer of 50 million euros to convince Stuttgart to facilitate his departure. A figure that reflects the player’s high regard in the market.
‘Stuttgart, for its part, won’t make it easy. With a current contract and a key player on the team, the German club will try to keep him for as long as possible. However, the interest of a giant like Liverpool could change the course of events in the coming months. The battle for Stiller is just beginning.’
While Tutto Atalanta claims that Liverpool are ‘ready to knock on’ Atalanta’s door for their midfielder Ederson ‘offers that could reach 60 million euros’.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher thinks Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes needs to bring in around six new signings to have another shot at the title next season.
Carragher wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “When a team win the league, you anticipate one or two big signings to keep the juggernaut moving. In all honesty, when looking at Slot’s squad, it feels like he may need as many as six before next summer.
“That is a statement you would expect to make about an underperforming team, or one requiring an overhaul. Reinforcements are required independent of whether the big three out-of-contract stars stay.
“Liverpool need a left-back to compete with Andy Robertson, extending the Scottish captain’s Anfield career by reducing the necessity for him to play every game. They need a centre-back to ensure there is no crisis if Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté are unavailable.
“Also a deep central midfielder so that Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister are not as overburdened next season as they have been in this one. Add to that an attacking midfielder who will score and create more than Dominik Szoboszlai. And finally a left winger and centre-forward who can win games as often as Mohamed Salah.
“Such additions would enhance rather than replace those who have inspired Liverpool to the top. What makes Slot’s achievement to this point more remarkable is that he has taken the side so far without making a major first-team signing other than the rarely used Federico Chiesa. Slot’s broader vision and idea of what Liverpool can become has yet to fully form.”