Liverpool in talks to sign “insane” £68m star

Brentford are all that stand between Liverpool and a ticket into the Champions League next season. A point is all that’s needed at Anfield, but Arne Slot‘s side have left too much to be desired this year for that to ease the worries of the supporters.

Still, they should get the job done, but a likely fifth-place finish hardly a success for a club of this magnitude – and recently deposed Premier League champions at that.

So much has gone wrong this season, but with Slot set to stay, maybe Liverpool should start from the centre, rebuilding from the heart of this team.

If reports are to be believed, Alexis Mac Allister could be on the move this summer, having endured a wretched campaign at the centre of Slot’s side’s collapse.

Liverpool in talks to sign Mac Allister replacement

You can trace Liverpool’s seasonal problems to numerous different sources, but Mac Allister’s decline in the middle of the park is perhaps the most unexplainable, taking an essential part from Slot’s system. Last season, he was the life blood.

Slot might want to put things right, but he’s going to need to come good on his promise of a transformative summer transfer window, seeing that Liverpool part with the deadwood and bring in new parts.

With uncertainty around Mac Allister, Liverpool need to start getting replacements in their sights, and they appear to have settled on an intriguing up-and-comer.

According to Fussball Daten, Liverpool are looking to sign Hugo Larsson from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer, with the 21-year-old midfielder also attracting interest from Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

It’s suggested that FSG are willing to offer €60m (£51m) for his signature, though as Larsson’s representatives hold exploratory talks with suitors including the Reds, it’s anticipated that the bidding war could reach €80m (£68m).

If Mac Allister is going to leave this summer, then Larsson could be the perfect replacement, alongside a more experienced No. 6.

Larsson has been excluded from Graham Potter’s World Cup squad. It’s a tough one, but Frankfurt have not had a good season.

Regardless, he’s an exciting talent, and the interest from some of Europe’s elite outfits emphasises the potential that is yet untapped by this rising star.

Larsson would not succeed as Liverpool’s sole midfield signing this summer, but he has the talent to develop into a superstar, with the deep-lying creative skills to replace Mac Allister and maybe even outstrip him.

Mac Allister’s decline has been stark, and it has been detrimental for a Liverpool side who have suffered the most flimsy of title defences.

By bringing Larsson over to the Premier League, Liverpool would land a rising star who could develop into a leading playmaker, already so crisp and positive on the ball.

Hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his innate work rate, technicality and self-belief, this is a young midfielder who rejected Chelsea after a trial in 2021, aware that his development was best served in his homeland. Moving to Stamford Bridge may well have swallowed him whole.

Now, Europe’s elite outfits are circling, awed by his “insane running and stamina” in the words of Como scout Ben Mattinson, who also describes him as “very similar to Jude Bellingham.” There are attributes that have been decidedly lacking on Merseyside this season, with Mac Allister at the epicentre of that internal battle, one that Slot’s side, in their current iteration, have sadly lost.

Liverpool haven’t been at the races this season, but many of their problems can be pinned down to midfield defects, tactical imbalances that Slot simply hasn’t had the tools to overcome.

If FSG are going to stick with the Dutch coach, as is expected, then they need to hit the mark with their summer signings. Larsson could fit the bill, perfectly replacing Mac Allister and reenergising Slot’s engine room.