Following the emotional wreckage of losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid and the Premier League by a single point, Liverpool face an intriguing summer on the transfer market.
A number of transfers seem to be in motion.
Bayern Munich seem to be Sadio Mane's likely destination with reports saying that Liverpool will be looking for at least €30 million for the attacker who is going into his final year of his contract. Liverpool are also only willing to sell Mane should they find a suitable replacement.
The Premier League and Champions League runners up have already confirmed the signing of 19 year old Fabio Carvalho from Fulham, but their spending could depend on whether they are able to offload some squad players over the coming weeks.
Aurelien Tchouameni had been linked with a move to Anfield, but the highly rated French midfielder looks set to join Real Madrid for a fee of around €80 million.
Real Madrid have improved their bid for Aurelién Tchouaméni. Proposal on the table for €80m plus add-ons, as Paris Saint-Germain were still trying and pushing. ⚪️🇫🇷 #transfers
Real and AS Monaco are in direct contact to reach full agreement as soon as possible.— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 31, 2022
In the aftermath of Saturday's result, a number of former Liverpool players have called for Liverpool to strengthen its midfield.
Hamann on Klopp's midfield options
Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann has called on the club 'modernise' its midfield. In doing so, he described Thiago - one of Liverpool's beset players this season - as "overrated"
Speaking in his column for Sky Germany, Hamann said:
"In my opinion, the Reds need to modernise the team a bit, especially in midfield,
"I don't understand the hype about Thiago. For me he is one of the most overrated players in European football.
"When things are going well and you have a lot of possession he's a good player, but when push comes to shove you don't see him.
"If you need someone who sets accents, then he doesn't do it"
Thiago Alcantara received plenty of criticism during his first season at Liverpool, but the Spaniard showed his ability in abundance this year and was one of the stand out performers for Jurgen Klopp's side.
Thiago was recently awarded Liverpool's April Player of the Month award and was also recalled to the Spanish national team for their upcoming Nations League games.
The former German international also spoke about Naby Keita who he called a "disappointment" after his move to the club from RB Leipzig back in 2018.
"(Naby) Keita is also a disappointment, (Jordan)Henderson is a worker. They need a player who can make the difference and give the team that extra something."
(Reports in France have been linking Keita with a move to PSG in a deal worth close to €50 million.)
Gerrard's views on where Liverpool need to strengthen
Aston Villa boss and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard also believes that Liverpool need to add reinforcements to an aging midfield.
Speaking to BT Sport after the Champions League final, Gerrard said;
"For Liverpool, if you think about the next five, six, seven years, they’re going to need a midfielder, an eight, who can get goals, who can get double figures.
"Jordan Henderson and James Milner are not getting any younger. They’re still top players at this level, of course, and they’ll want to go on and do more."
Perhaps both Steven Gerrard and Didi Hamann are right about Liverpool needing a different type of player in the middle. Their top scorer from the centre of the park was defensive midfielder Fabinho with eight goals, three of them coming from the penalty spot.
See Also: 5 Forwards Liverpool Could Target If Sadio Mane Leaves The Club
