Transfer Gossip: Liverpool recruitment duo enthralled by new Championship midfield target; Arsenal ‘likely’ to sell in-form star

Callum Lang and Alex Scott

Liverpool are ready to compete for the signing of a standout Championship midfielder in the summer, while Arsenal are willing to cash in on one of their most in-form players – all in Tuesday’s transfer gossip.

ALEX SCOTT LINKED WITH LIVERPOOL

Liverpool are pursuing Bristol City star Alex Scott ahead of their midfield revamp in the summer, a report has revealed.

Finding new midfielders will be important for Liverpool as and when they lose Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arthur Melo and potentially James Milner in the summer.

They need to reinvest in the department, which has prompted links with an abundance of potential targets.

Now, the Daily Mail has highlighted the chances of them winning the race for Scott, who has become one of the most promising talents in the Championship.

According to the report, Liverpool’s head of recruitment, Dave Fallows, and chief scout, Barry Hunter, have watched Scott in action for the England under-20 national team.

Liking what they saw, they could now spearhead an attempt by Liverpool to beat the likes of West Ham and Wolves to Scott’s signature.

The 19-year-old is under contract with Bristol City until 2025. So far, he has made 86 appearances for their first team, including 44 this season.

Along the way in 2022-23, Scott has supplied two goals and five assists, featuring in a range of different midfield roles.

It is not yet clear how much Liverpool might have to pay for the Guernsey-born ace. With Bristol City set to finish the season mid-table in the Championship, it will be interesting to see what they ask for in terms of a transfer fee.

ARSENAL SET TO SELL BALOGUN

Further transfer gossip is emerging about the prospect of Arsenal selling Folarin Balogun in the summer.

Balogun has enjoyed a productive loan spell in Ligue 1 with Reims this season. However, his future back at his parent club is far from guaranteed.

Aware that he wouldn’t have the same kind of prominence back at Arsenal as he has done with Reims, Balogun has recently been tipped to refuse a new contract at the Emirates Stadium.

In turn, he would be ready to explore his options for a transfer away. And an update from The Times has confirmed that Arsenal will listen to offers for the striker in the summer and his sale is “likely”.

Arsenal have Balogun under contract until 2025, but his market value might be at its peak this summer. Therefore, they will have to take into consideration any offers for him.

After all, the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and possibly even Leandro Trossard – depending on his role – seem to be above Balogun in the pecking order still.

By cashing in on Balogun, Arsenal would be able to reinvest in their squad without disrupting what Mikel Arteta has had available to him this season.

That said, it would be a blow for them to have to bid farewell to an academy product who still has significant potential at the age of 21.

TRANSFER GOSSIP: WOLVES WORKING ON NEW NEVES DEAL

Despite interest from the likes of Man Utd, Wolves have not given up hope of tying down Ruben Neves to a new deal.

That’s according to The Sun, which claims that interest from Europe has been cooling, although Barcelona and Real Madrid are still watching on.

Neves is also named as a potential target for Man Utd, but Wolves do not want to lose their star midfielder.

As things stand, Neves is due to become a free agent in 2024, so this summer could be Wolves’ last chance to get a decent fee for him.

But they could yet try to convince him to remain at Molineux for longer. That said, his wage demands of more than £100,000 per week could be an obstacle.

Should Wolves fail to persuade Neves to stay, their asking price will be in the region of £40million, it is claimed.