Liverpool are expected to sign at least one central midfielder when the summer transfer window opens after suffering so many injuries to their current crop this season, but Wayne Veysey of Football Insider says the Reds have surprisingly opted against getting Youri Tielemans from Leicester City.
The 25-year-old joined the Foxes from AS Monaco in 2019 and has gone on to make 187 appearances in all competitions, scoring 28 goals with 25 assists. He’s out of contract in the coming months and looks set to leave Leicester on a free transfer amid interest from a host of big clubs, but it doesn’t appear Liverpool are a potential destination.
Klopp prefers Mount or Bellingham over Tielemans
Jurgen Klopp reportedly believes Tielemans is too static as a midfielder and wouldn’t have enough mobility for his side, so Liverpool are turning their attentions elsewhere. Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham remain top targets for the Reds, so time will tell how the squad looks in the coming months.
From the outside looking in, Tielemans would be a good addition to the Liverpool side, having shown adeptness at turning over the ball and creating chances while being comfortable in possession, but Klopp clearly wants a player than can cover more blades of grass and press the ball all over the pitch, so he would prefer Mount or Bellingham for that job.
The Liverpool manager has Stefan Bajcetic, James Milner, Arthur Melo, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson, Thiago, Curtis Jones and Fabinho at his disposal in midfield, but only Fabinho and Henderson have avoided injury this campaign.
Melo hasn’t played in the league all season after undergoing surgery early on, Milner is 37 years of age, Oxlade-Chamberlain has been sidelined for months accumulatively, Henderson turns 33 in June, Jones has hardly played due to various injury problems and Thiago has struggled for consistent fitness too, so the midfield is an area Klopp needs to bolster.
Tielemans would be an improvement on the likes of Melo, Jones and Oxlade-Chamberlain, but Klopp clearly only wants players in his image to ensure Liverpool can hit the ground running next season. The fact the €30m-rated (£26m) Belgian international is available on a free transfer doesn’t appear to have swayed his decision one way or the other.
