
Liverpool
Premier League • England
Liverpool midfield target closing in on 2023 agreement, as ‘collapsed’ summer deal paves way for even greater coup

A Bundesliga midfielder who is a self-confessed Liverpool fan is closing in on a 2023 agreement that his current club are powerless to stop, per a trusted source.
Liverpool’s midfield is coming under the microscope more and more with each passing week. Jurgen Klopp fielded arguably his strongest midfield trio against Brighton on Saturday – Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara.
However, they could do little to halt Brighton’s relentless march up the pitch at Anfield, especially in the first half.
Jamie Carragher claimed the Reds could’ve been 4-0 down after 20 minutes when assessing his former club’s slow start on Monday. The former right-back was adamant the biggest problem at Liverpool right now is indeed the midfield.
What’s more, Klopp’s ranks are poised to shrink in 2023.
All three of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita will be off contract.
Two or even three new additions will be required, and the Reds are putting work in behind the scenes regarding Jude Bellingham.
Competition to sign the 19-year-old will be fierce and the likes of Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Real Madrid must all be overcome. But even if Liverpool do snare Bellingham, they’ll need at least one more.
One potential option to bolster the ranks is RB Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer.
Austria international admits Liverpool allegiance
The 25-year-old plays for RB Leipzig and will see his contract expire next summer.
The Austria international was heavily linked with both Bayern Munich and Liverpool over the summer. That led to Laimer himself responding to links with the Reds where he admitted he’s a Liverpool fan.
“In the end, I would have been ready to take a new step,” said Laimer in late-September of links to Liverpool.
“It didn’t happen because the go-ahead from Leipzig didn’t come.
“They quickly said: ‘No, that’s not possible’. On the one hand, that’s nice because (it shows) you’re an important player.
“But it’s also difficult because a lot of discussions have been held. You’ve thought a lot (about leaving), reflected a lot.”
Dropping a hint on a potential future move to Anfield, he continued: “I’ve been in Leipzig for five years and I feel good.
“Now, it will be a year longer and then we will see what happens. I generally like watching the Premier League. I’ve always been a Liverpool fan.”
Romano names Laimer’s next club
Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, Laimer is closing in on an agreement with his next club in 2023. However, it’s unlikely to be Liverpool.
The transfer guru tweeted Bayern Munich are ‘optimistic’ of securing Laimer as a free agent ahead of next season.
Laimer reportedly wants to join Bayern and that suits their manager, Julian Nagelsmann, just fine. Indeed, Nagelsmann too wants Laimer in Bavaria and has chased his signature since 2021.
Romano noted Laimer had actually agreed terms with Bayern over a transfer this summer just gone. However, as Laimer hinted in his interview, Leipzig would not play ball and the deal collapsed.
That may prove to be an error of judgement on their part given it now looks like Laimer will wait until next summer to join Bayern Munich. In doing so, he’ll leave for free and Leipzig won’t generate a fee, much to Bayern’s delight.
Laimer miss will stiffen Bellingham resolve
With Laimer seemingly bound for Bayern, another target now appears to be off the table.
Leicester’s Youri Tielemans is another to draw links with Liverpool and is in the same contractual situation. His current deal with the Foxes expires next summer and there are no signs he’ll pen fresh terms in the meantime.
Calciomercato recently put the Reds in the mix along with Real Madrid and Juventus. The Sun reckon Liverpool’s strongest competition will come from Arsenal and Man Utd.
Whether Liverpool move for the Belgium international remains to be seen. But if they pass, it stands to reason their desire to land Bellingham will grow.
Liverpool and Real Madrid have reportedly done the most work behind the scenes of all his suitors so far.
Man Utd and Chelsea are both attempting to engineer their way to the front of the queue. Erling Haaland has already personally spoken to Bellingham and told him to join Man City.
Whatever happens with Bellingham, one thing is for sure. His future will be the transfer saga of the summer next year.