RICHARD HUGHES’S JANUARY MOVE: BOX-TO-BOX DAVIDE FRATTESI TO BOLSTER ARNE SLOT'S TITLE BID
Sporting Director Richard Hughes may move for Inter Milan's Davide Frattesi to solve Liverpool's midfield depth issues. Separately, Real Madrid eyes Florian Wirtz.
It's said that Liverpool's sporting director, Richard Hughes, might try to fix a transfer window mistake by adding to Arne Slot's midfield in January. An Italian player is reportedly on their list.
The Reds haven't always won the midfield battle this season, which is part of why their Premier League title defence isn't going so well. They're currently 10 points behind Arsenal, who are leading the league.
Even though Hughes spent big on players like Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz over the summer, he didn't think another midfielder was needed. But reports from Spain say that Liverpool might soon get a boost in that area.
Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister struggled in the second half, and Dominik Szoboszlai's ankle injury could also hurt the Reds, depending on how bad it is. This is because Liverpool doesn't have enough depth in midfield.
Because of this, the Spanish source Fichajes says that Liverpool is one of four Premier League clubs interested in Inter Milan's Davide Frattesi.
The 26-year-old is a midfielder who can play both offence and defence, but he hasn't been starting much under Cristian Chivu. The Italian player, who has a contract until 2028, has only started one Serie A game this season, which is seen as a waste of his skill in Italy.
The report mentions that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham are all watching Frattesi, believing his situation is a good chance to sign him.
Liverpool is thinking about signing him to give Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, and Gravenberch some support. Frattesi would add depth and a tactical option to the team.
Frattesi, who has played for Italy 33 times, first joined Inter on loan from Sassuolo in 2023. He won the Serie A title and was a Champions League runner-up last season.
Even so, he hasn't played in Inter's last four Serie A games and could be a good addition for the Reds in January.
Also, there are rumours that Real Madrid is still interested in Liverpool's Florian Wirtz.
Reports from Spain say again that Real Madrid is ready to spend a lot of money to bring Florian Wirtz to the Bernabeu in 2026.
Real Madrid's coach, Xabi Alonso, has coached Wirtz before at Bayer Leverkusen, and the Spanish source Defensa Central says that Wirtz might join another former Reds player, Trent Alexander-Arnold, in Madrid.
The Real Madrid source says that Liverpool is ready to sell Wirtz to Real Madrid for €110 million (£96.4m, $129.5m). However, this source isn't always the most reliable.
Defensa also says that Alonso wanted Madrid to sign Wirtz in the summer of 2025 when he became the manager.
Even though Wirtz hasn't had a big impact at Anfield yet, our sources say that Liverpool still believes in the 22-year-old.
He hasn't scored any goals and has only made five assists in 21 games for the Reds this season, which isn't what Liverpool was hoping for. But that doesn't mean they're already trying to sell him.
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”
Must Read
