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Nov 11, 2023

Liverpool Could Sign Bellingham 2.0 In £36m

The Bayern Munich midfielder has been linked with a move away... Liverpool have

The Bayern Munich midfielder has been linked with a move away...

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Bayern Munich powerhouse Leon Goretzka this summer, with the player ostensibly falling out of favour with the German giants.

According to journalist Phillip Kessler (via Bavarian Football Works), Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel is unhappy with the cohesion in the club's midfield this season, mainly the work of Goretzka alongside Joshua Kimmich, with the latter being eyed for a new role in his compatriot's No. 8 deployment.

The 28-year-old has endured one of his toughest campaigns to date with the German champions, who claimed their 11th successive Bundesliga title on a dramatic final day after Borussia Dortmund failed to win at home against Mainz.

To exacerbate Goretzka's concerns over the prominence of his role at the Allianz Arena, Bayern have completed the signing of Konrad Laimer on a free transfer from RB Leipzig, with the Austrian signing an agreement in April ahead of the expiry of his contract.

This could put Liverpool in position to swoop for the £36m-rated star, with the aforementioned report stating that Jurgen Klopp's outfit 'could be a suitor' after their own strife this season.

The lion's share of targets that the Reds are being linked with of late are all exciting talents in the maiden phase of their career: Manu Kone is 22, as is Khephren Thuram; Bayern's Ryan Gravenberch is 21, while Alexis Mac Allister, soon to pen a deal with the Anfield side, is 24-years-old.

Goretzka may be older, but given the club's departees this summer - consisting of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - will leave the centre bereft of much of its experience and leadership, targetting a distinguished gem such as the one-time Schalke star might not be an inauspicious move.

And Goretzka has pedigree in abundance; signing for Bayern in 2018, the £301k-per-week phenom has made 179 appearances, scoring 34 goals and supplying 35 assists, and won five Bundesliga titles, two DFB Pokal trophies and the Champions League.

This season, despite retaining the league, Die Roten have not looked at their imperious best and Goretzka only found a starting berth in the Bundesliga on 22 occasions, with his seasonal rating of 6.89 - via WhoScored - the lowest it has been in the German top-flight since 2014/15

The 50-cap Germany international does fit the mould of the kind of central sensation the Reds need after falling by the wayside this year, and he draws similarities to Jude Bellingham, who was Klopp's prime summer transfer target before the club ceded ground for Real Madrid to tie up a deal after concerns over the exorbitant price of such a deal, as per Sky Sports.

The Borussia Dortmund prodigy is one of the most coveted talents in the world, and ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 8% for progressive carries, the top 1% for successful take-ons and the top 8% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.

Goretzka, who is a comparable player to the 19-year-old on FBref, ranks among the top 12% of positional peers for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 5% for rate of assists, the top 23% for progressive carries, the top 3% for blocks and the top 8% for aerials won per 90.

Praised for being as "cold as ice" by teammate Manuel Neuer, Goretzka could bring the cool composure and iron-clad resolve that the Merseyside outfit has been yearning for this season, and Klopp might just look to swoop for the monstrous midfielder as he melds youthful exuberance with tried-and-tested mettle this summer.