Liverpool are reportedly one of the clubs looking to land a transfer deal for Boca Juniors midfielder Alan Varela during the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Reds currently have three midfielders in their squad with contracts set to expire at the end of the season in James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
With the summer transfer window on the way, the Merseyside club already have their eyes on a new midfielder that could come in as a potential replacement for one of the three previously mentioned players, but they face some competition from clubs close to home and abroad.
According to a recent report from Football Insider, Liverpool are battling fellow Premier League club Newcastle United, as well as Barcelona, to secure Varela’s signature, which a fee of £16-20m could be enough to land.
The report also adds that Liverpool and Newcastle have sent scouts to keep an eye on the player, who would apparently be open to moving to the Premier League.
With 85 senior appearances for Boca to his name, the defensive midfielder has scored one goal and delivered three assists.
His previous season saw the 21-year-old end the campaign with more interceptions (45) than any other player at the Argentinian club as well as the second-highest total of successful tackles (30).
Bearing in mind how Liverpool have conceded 29 goals in 26 league games this season, bringing in someone with Varela’s defensive talent could be just what Jurgen Klopp needs to tighten up his side.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who has described Varela as a “Rolls-Royce” of a player, also highlighted some of the midfielder’s strengths as his pace, passing, vision, tackling, technique, ball control, intelligence and flair, likening him to Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich.
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In addition to having the likes of Milner, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain out of contract, some of Liverpool’s other midfield options such as Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson have both gone over the age of 30, meaning that someone like Varela could be an ideal long-term replacement for either of those players given his age.
With all of that in mind, we feel that Liverpool should put themselves at the front of the queue to sign the Boca star once the summer transfer window opens.