Liverpool

Liverpool

Premier League • England

The five midfielders heavily linked with Liverpool and how they compare in 2022/23: Mac Allister, Mount…

Mason Mount, Alexis Mac Allister and Nicolo Barella. TEAMtalk montage.

Liverpool are planning a major rebuild of their midfield this summer and Jurgen Klopp has reportedly been casting his eye over numerous targets. 

The Reds had identified Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham as their top target but they backed away from the deal and are now looking at other options.

Using data from transfermarkt and Whoscored, we’ve taken a look at five midfielders that have been heavily linked with a move to Anfield to see how they compare in 2022/23.

Note: Liverpool have also been linked with Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch but we’ve left him off this list due to his lack of appearances in 2022/23.

Alexis Mac Allister

Games: 38
Starts: 34
Sub appearances: 4

Goals: 12
Assists: 3
Minutes per goal or assist: 212

Passing accuracy in the league: 87.3%
Passes completed per 90 league minutes: 56.4
Chances created per 90 league minutes: 1.5
Successful dribbles per 90 league minutes: 1.4

Interceptions per 90 league minutes: 0.7
Successful tackles per 90 league minutes (success rate): 2.2 (64.7%)

It has been an unforgettable season for Mac Allister, who won the World Cup with Argentina and has also helped Brighton & Hove Albion qualify for European football.

He’s the top-scoring midfielder on this list, although six of his 12 goals in all competitions have come from the penalty spot.

The 24-year-old can also play as a deeper-lying midfielder and his ability to retain possession and build attacks are among his key strengths.

Brighton are reportedly resigned to losing the Argentina international in the summer and will accept bids in the region of €70m (£60.8m).

While Manchester United and Chelsea have also expressed an interest in Mac Allister, Fabrizio Romano claims that Liverpool are currently leading the race for his signature.

Mason Mount

Games: 35
Starts: 26
Sub appearances: 9

Goals: 3
Assists: 6
Minutes per goal or assist: 243.1

Passing accuracy in the league: 80.1%
Passes completed per 90 league minutes: 38.3
Chances created per 90 league minutes: 1.6
Successful dribbles per 90 league minutes: 0.8

Interceptions per 90 league minutes: 0.4
Successful tackles per 90 league minutes (success rate): 1.8 (72%)

After winning Chelsea’s Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons, Mount has struggled with form and fitness in 2022/23.

But he is still averaging more key passes per 90 minutes than Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones.

The 24-year-old is also renowned for his versatility, tactical awareness and impressive work rate, making him an ideal fit for Klopp’s system.

Mount faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge as he has just over 12 months left on his current contract and talks over a new deal have stalled.

Despite facing competition from Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, Liverpool are reportedly growing increasingly confident of landing the England international this summer.

Matheus Nunes

Games: 39
Starts: 33
Sub appearances: 6

Goals: 2
Assists: 2
Minutes per goal or assist: 718.2

Passing accuracy in the league: 82.1%
Passes completed per 90 league minutes: 35.3
Chances created per 90 league minutes: 1.0
Successful dribbles per 90 league minutes: 1.6

Interceptions per 90 league minutes: 0.6
Successful tackles per 90 league minutes (success rate): 2.5 (67.6%)

After starring for Sporting, Nunes was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool last summer but ultimately joined Wolves in a £38m deal.

The midfielder endured a difficult start to his debut season but has improved under Julen Lopetegui and is now getting to grips with the Premier League.

His off-the-ball work ethic has won plenty of plaudits at Molineux as he has won an average of 2.5 tackles per 90 minutes in the league, which is more than any other midfielder on this list.

While Wolves have removed a clause from his contract that would allow Nunes to leave in the summer for £44m, he is still on Klopp’s radar.

“Liverpool remain keen on Nunes,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. “He’s a player they appreciate. They already discussed Nunes as a target before he moved to Wolves, so it’s something they already discussed before the Premier League move. He remains a player in the list at Liverpool.”

Nicolo Barella

Games: 48
Starts: 45
Sub appearances: 3

Goals: 8
Assists: 9
Minutes per goal or assist: 219.5

Passing accuracy in the league: 84.9%
Passes completed per 90 league minutes: 51.7
Chances created per 90 league minutes: 1.9
Successful dribbles per 90 league minutes: 1.4

Interceptions per 90 league minutes: 0.4
Successful tackles per 90 league minutes (success rate): 1.7 (68%)

Barella has been one of Inter Milan’s standout performers in 2022/23, helping Simone Inzaghi’s side reach the finals of the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.

The Italy international is also the most creative midfielder on this list, registering nine assists in all competitions in 2022/23 while averaging 1.9 key passes per 90 minutes in Serie A.

While Inter want to keep hold of Barella, they are struggling financially and need to raise money through player sales to balance the books this summer.

Liverpool have reportedly sent scouts to watch him in action in recent weeks and Klopp has previously discussed his admiration for the 26-year-old.

“He’s a really good player, a really good player and I like him a lot,” Klopp said in 2022. “He has all the things you want from a midfield player: he is aggressive, he is technical, he can run for ages and all these kinds of things. That’s a top-class player.”

Khephren Thuram

Games: 48
Starts: 43
Sub appearances: 5

Goals: 2
Assists: 8
Minutes per goal or assist: 372.2

Passing accuracy in the league: 86.9%
Passes completed per 90 league minutes: 46.4
Chances created per 90 league minutes: 1.3
Successful dribbles per 90 league minutes: 1.6

Interceptions per 90 league minutes: 1.3
Successful tackles per 90 league minutes (success rate): 1.8 (69.2%)

Son of France World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, Khephren plays for Ligue 1 side Nice and his performances in 2022/23 have caught the attention of several major clubs.

The 22-year-old, who can operate either as a defensive midfielder or a central midfielder, excels in ball recovery and makes more interceptions per 90 minutes than any other player on this list.

He is also renowned for his ability to carry the ball up the pitch and has been averaging 1.6 successful dribbles per 90 minutes at a 59.3% success rate.

According to The Independent, Klopp has decided that the France international is the ‘perfect’ solution to his midfield woes.

Newcastle United, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and PSG have also been credited with interest in Thuram and Nice have reportedly set a starting asking price of €50m (£44.1m).

READ MORE: The 57 midfielders Liverpool have been linked with in the transfer gossip columns: Mac Allister, Gravenberch…