Talk of transfers at Liverpool in recent days have centred around the addition of a new centre forward.
The two players in question are Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, however, the Reds have found one deal rather more complex than the other.
Towards the beginning of the week, it was reported that the Anfield side had approached Newcastle United, issuing their willingness to put a £120m offer on the table for Isak.
It’s an astronomical sum of money, but the Toon have always said the same thing about the Swede; he’s not for sale.
While this was happening, Newcastle had actually been looking at doing a deal for Ekitike themselves, even registering a bid. Sadly for Eddie Howe’s men, they look set to miss out on the Frenchman.
That’s because Liverpool have come in with their own bid for the Frankfurt striker and there is now confidence that he will be heading to Merseyside. Once that deal is done, surely Richard Hughes and Co will chill out a bit? Apparently not.
Liverpool eyeing Real Madrid stars
While Ekitike is target number one right now, there have been links to Real Madrid winger Rodrygo in recent days.
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Also a target for Arsenal this summer, reports earlier in the week suggested that Liverpool were set to send officials out to Madrid to discuss a deal for the Brazilian. Yet, with Ekitike now looking ever more likely to arrive, whether they sign another forward player remains to be seen.
In fact, according to reports in Spain, another Madrid star is on the club’s radar: Aurelien Tchouameni.
Liverpool have already tried to sign the holding midfielder once when he was still at Monaco but they could make a fresh attempt.
The report states that Arne Slot’s side are ‘back on the attack and preparing a big offer to secure his services’.
What Tchouameni could offer to Liverpool
Two years ago, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool underwent a midfield rebuild. Fabinho and Jordan Henderson had departed for Saudi Arabia and the injury-stricken Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara also left Anfield behind.
As a result, three players came in: Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Mac Allister has been by far the most consistent, working his way onto the nominees for the PFA Player of the Year award. For Gravenberch, the progress in Merseyside has been slower.
Under Klopp, he struggled to find a regular starting berth but Slot’s arrival has turned him into a midfield monster. The Dutchman repurposed his fellow countryman as more of a defensive-minded midfielder and he shone, notably winning the Premier League’s Young Player of the Year award for 2024/25.
Szoboszlai, on the other hand, has been criticised by Jamie Carragher for needing to score more goals. That might well explain why Florian Wirtz was signed this summer.
Yet, despite Gravenberch’s captivating campaign, he could well be replaced by Tchouameni, a player capable of emulating Fabinho at the base of Liverpool’s midfield.
Described as “one of the best defensive midfielders on the planet” by analyst Raj Chohan, the 25-year-old has been around the block for a while now, cementing himself in the Madrid team.
Last season, the Frenchman proved why he’s rated so highly, starting 31 of the 32 games he was available for in LaLiga and also starting ten of the 12 Champions League ties he was available for. You don’t play that many games for Madrid without being a good player.
Like Fabinho, he’s a tempo setter but he can also break up play fantastically well. Here’s what the data tells us.
Pass success %
92%
87%
Passes into final 3rd
5.89
5.58
Progressive passes
5.15
5.58
Tackles won
0.77
1.52
Interceptions
1.54
1.47
Blocks
1.14
1.08
Errors leading to a goal
0.03
0.04
Touches
77.7
77.2
Successful take-ons
0.33
0.39
Progressive carries
0.64
0.82
Analysing Fabinho at the peak of his powers, when Liverpool won the Premier League in 2019/20, the similarities with Tchouameni are clear to see.
While the Brazilian got through more tackles per 90 minutes, in other areas there isn’t much to split the duo whatsoever.
They complete a similar number of take-ons, have almost an identical touch count and have a similar skillset when it comes to various passing metrics.
For a defensive-minded midfielder, however, the ability to intercept play and block passing lanes is crucial. Those are two areas where Tchouameni and Fabinho in his prime are very alike.
Signing a new holding player this summer may not be the most pressing issue but if the Madrid sensation is on the market, this would be a wonderful opportunity for FSG to take.
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1 ByMatt DawsonJul 17, 2025