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.
ALISSON "OPEN" TO LIVERPOOL EXIT AS JUVENTUS PREPARE MASSIVE SWAP DEAL OFFER
With Alisson Becker open to a Juventus move, Liverpool is scouring the market for a replacement ahead of a major summer rebuild.
Liverpool isn’t just sitting around; it’s actively searching for someone to take Alisson Becker’s spot since Juventus looks serious about making a bid for their veteran keeper. Even though Alisson’s got a year left on his deal after the club triggered an extension back in March, he might leave this summer.
He’s been Liverpool’s go-to guy in goal since he arrived from Roma in 2018; he’s played 332 games, cost £67 million, and for years, he was untouchable. But injuries have piled up during the 2025/26 season, and it’s starting to look like his time at Anfield could be coming to an end.
Juventus are now right in the mix. Apparently, Alisson isn’t against the idea of leaving Liverpool, and Juventus could even throw their own goalkeeper, Michele Di Gregorio, into the deal for the Brazilian.
Juve are ready to offer Alisson a contract running through the summer of 2028, with an extra year as an option. Sky Sports says Liverpool already knows what’s happening and is getting their ducks in a row before a massive transfer window.
The club’s facing a big summer. Salah and Robertson are going, and now they might need a new keeper too. Giorgi Mamardashvili has stepped up when Alisson was out, playing 18 games across all competitions, but he’s injured himself, leaving Slot with just Freddie Woodman as his only fit option.
Recently, Slot was asked if losing Alisson at the same time as Robertson and Salah would be too much. He said, “The club makes decisions it thinks are right. If this happens, there's a reason behind it, maybe another good reason why we did what we did.”
He pointed out that Liverpool doesn’t make transfers on a whim. Decisions are thought through, with the club’s interests always at heart.
Regarding keeping Alisson for his experience, Slot admitted that’s one argument, but there are others and, ultimately, the club will decide what’s best. Alisson’s contract still has a year left.
When pressed about Juventus, Slot replied, “Ali’s main focus is clear; he wants to get back in goal for Liverpool as soon as possible and then play for Brazil. That’s his short- and mid-term future.”
LIVERPOOL WARNED TO OFFER CURTIS JONES NEW CONTRACT BEFORE 14-MONTH DEADLINE
Analysis: Curtis Jones’ elite passing stats and why Jermaine Pennant believes Liverpool cannot afford to lose the versatile midfielder.
Liverpool really needs to sort out a new contract for Curtis Jones before they make the same mistake it did with Luis Diaz. That’s what the Inside Liverpool panel thinks, especially now that Diaz is lighting up Bayern Munich and making Liverpool’s transfer moves look pretty questionable.
Bayern’s front three, with Diaz in the mix, have racked up 100 goals across all competitions this season – the first time any non-Spanish team has done that. Diaz himself has bagged 26 goals in 46 matches and just scored against PSG in the Champions League semi-final.
Looking back, Liverpool probably wish they hadn’t let Diaz walk for £65 million last summer. Since then, fans at Anfield haven’t seen anyone who brings what he did: that relentless pressing, always looming as a threat on the counter. Sure, they’ve brought in Rio Ngumoha, a teenager, just 17, but Arne Slot, the coach, knows you can’t just expect him to fill those shoes right away.
On talkSPORT’s Inside Liverpool, Jermaine Pennant, who has played for the club, said that Liverpool has to bring in another proven attacker over the summer. Pennant’s point: Diaz was great whether he played in the middle or on the left, and Liverpool needs someone with that kind of flexibility. You don’t want to sign a backup like Hugo Ekitike and then end up overcrowding with too many strikers when the main guy returns.
Now, Jones could end up in the same boat this summer. There’s a lot of uncertainty around his future, and when you look at the numbers, he’s only got 14 months left on his contract. Several clubs in England and Europe are watching, and he’s only started 15 games for Liverpool this season.
Even though he hasn’t played much, Jones is impressing; he’s second only to Rodri in midfielder passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He’s also ranked second behind Moises Caicedo for passing accuracy, and right behind Rayan Cherki for carries. Pennant said the club can’t afford to let him go: Jones is so versatile; you can play him anywhere in midfield or even right back. He knows the club, loves it, and helps connect the squad.
Jones has been one of the top performers recently. Pennant thinks Liverpool should offer him a new deal, especially since the squad is thinning out and they’ve already lost Trent Alexander-Arnold. In the end, it’s up to Jones if he wants to stay or move for more game time, but Liverpool has to make the offer while they still can.
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