Liverpool have said goodbye to former Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who spent the majority of his time off the bench in England due to a number of injuries.The club acquired several midfielders last summer, and while strengthening the midfield is not a priority, interest in the slightly thin defensive midfielder has been reported for some time.
With Liverpool moving around in the transfer market for centre-backs and attackers, it would be difficult to allocate budget for a new midfielder, but a free transfer due to an expiring contract would be a different situation.
According to SportItalia, Liverpool are investigating France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, whose contract with Juventus expires at the end of the month, with a view to signing him this summer.
The club have already presented a contract extension offer for the 29-year-old midfielder, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past. However, the player has yet to respond to the offer, and the prospect of his remaining at the club has become doubtful.
Having played for Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus throughout his career, the Saint-Maurice midfielder has made over 200 appearances for the two clubs and his experience is unquestionable, having started 43 games for France on his debut in 2016.
A very clever player, he has the flexibility and dexterity to adapt his play to suit the tactical situation and has a high level of skill and passing with his feet. Central midfielder is his main position, but there should be no reason why he cannot also play at the bottom of midfield.
It remains to be seen how much experience Liverpool will require. There is also reported interest in German midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who has also played a number of games for club and national team, and if the transfer fee is cheap or a free transfer, there is no denying that Liverpool will look to strengthen their midfield further.
Will the French midfielder leave Italy to take up the challenge in England?