Liverpool, which has revamped its midfielders, is entering a new season with four new players. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have spent the preseason and have performed well as mainstays since the opening game.
Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo, who has had many battles with 10 players since joining the club, needs time to get used to the Premier League and its tactics. Ryan Gravenberch has yet to show his true potential, having joined just before the transfer deadline.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Liverpool were interested in North Macedonian midfielder Eljif Elmas, who plays for Napoli, and had presented a formal offer for £26 million, which was rejected with no intention of release.
The 23-year-old midfielder made 36 Serie A appearances and 10 Champions League appearances last season, although he made most of his appearances during the season. Not only a central midfielder, he can play in any position in midfield. Furthermore, he was used on the left and right wing.
The highly utility North Macedonian midfielder has scored 11 goals in 49 games on the international stage. He is not an absolute starter and, like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain until last season, can be a team player, especially in cup competitions.
However, these are not the conditions Liverpool had hoped for. In addition, he has no experience in a physical league like England or Germany, and it is doubtful that he is even on the list of actual acquisitions.
He would be an interesting option if only to secure a number of midfielders, but it remains to be seen whether he would increase Liverpool’s strength in the mid- to long-term.
It seems that the media and his agent have been playing the transfer game, but will Liverpool defy expectations and make a move for the former Fenerbahce midfielder in the future?