Liverpool are still waiting to add to the squad after Andoni Iraola said the club \u201cneeds more players\u201d last month, and the uncertainty around Curtis Jones has only sharpened that need.<\/p>\n
Even after a major outlay last summer, the roster still looks in need of significant work. The 4-2 defeat to Leeds United in Chicago exposed a lack of defensive cover, while the prospect of Jones joining Inter Milan would leave the midfield looking even thinner.<\/p>\n
Inter are still pursuing a deal for the Scouse midfielder, who made 34 Premier League appearances last season. Most supporters may not see his departure as a crisis, but without him Iraola\u2019s options in the centre of the pitch would become rather limited.<\/p>\n
That leaves Liverpool with room to consider alternatives before the window closes. Several names have been linked as possible solutions, with Alex Scott among the most intriguing. Liverpool are believed to be interested in the English midfielder after he turned down a contract extension on the south coast, although Bournemouth insist he is not for sale. Scott has already enjoyed a breakout season and combines carrying power with strong work out of possession. He also worked under Iraola at the Vitality Stadium, which would give the move a familiar edge.<\/p>\n
Kaish\u016b Sano offers a different profile. The Mainz midfielder impressed at the World Cup, where he played three times for Japan and scored against Brazil, and he has since built a reputation as a tireless holding midfielder. Liverpool already have Wataru End\u014d on the books, but Sano\u2019s positional discipline and pressing intensity would suit Iraola\u2019s system.<\/p>\n
Chema Andr\u00e9s is another option. The 21-year-old left Real Madrid for Stuttgart and made 39 appearances across all competitions last season. Standing at 6\u20193\u201d, he has the physical presence and control in possession that could make him a long-term fit in midfield.<\/p>\n
Manu Kon\u00e9 also remains in the conversation. The Roma midfielder impressed for France this summer and has shown composure, passing quality and defensive intelligence. Injury concerns may explain the quieter transfer buzz, but Liverpool could still move if Jones departs.<\/p>\n
If no deal materialises, Liverpool may simply promote from within. Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai look the likeliest opening-day starters, with Trey Nyoni climbing the depth chart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Liverpool are weighing midfield solutions as Curtis Jones nears a possible move to Inter Milan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[175,1891],"tags":[1023,1615],"class_list":["post-18257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-liverpool","category-liverpool-transfer-news","tag-alexis-mac-allister","tag-andoni-iraola"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}