Despite an excellent campaign so far, Liverpool have not yet fully solved their midfield problem.
The Reds completed an enormous rebuilding job in the middle of the pitch in 2023, signing four new players under Jurgen Klopp
And while all of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch have been huge successes at Liverpool, it’s clear that Arne Slot would like something else added.
Slot tried to sign Martin Zubimendi in 2024, but with the Spaniard preferring to stay at Real Sociedad, the Liverpool head coach stuck with what he had.
Ultimately, this has led to Gravenberch being retooled as an impressive deeper-lying midfielder. But with Endo only trusted as a bit-part player and Curtis Jones in and out of the team, there remains a feeling that Slot wants one more
For a time it had seemed like this extra addition could be Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich. But with Kimmich set to sign a new contract at Bayern, Liverpool are reportedly targeting the next best thing
Liverpool keen on Angelo Stiller
Kimmich always felt like an unlikely signing for Liverpool. Nevertheless, his calm and versatile midfield profile would have suited the Reds well.
Now left with having to look at other options, German journalist Christian Falk has claimed that Liverpool are interested in Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller
Stiller has been linked with Liverpool already, with suggestions that the 23-year-old is moving up Slot’s list of targets after an impressive season.
And writing in his Fact Files column, Falk has given the lay of the land ahead of the summer
Liverpool are interested in Angelo Stiller,” he says. “Stiller has a release clause in his contract – valued at €36m [£30m] – which comes into play in 2026.
“We heard about interest from Liverpool, so they are watching him. It would be possible to get him in 2026. Of course, if they come in with a big offer this summer, it would also be possible to sign him early.”
Stiller looks a good fit for Liverpool
As we wrote back in January, Stiller looks like a good fit for Liverpool. In fact, the Germany international more or less ticks every box.
Interestingly, bundesliga.com have also compared him to Kimmich, writing that he ‘fits the modern mould of a deep-lying playmaker that Kimmich did so much to define while Stiller was developing in the Bayern youth ranks.’
Stiller is said to have ‘remarkably similar’ stats to the Bayern legend, giving a good idea of what he could bring to Liverpool.
For the kind of price being talked about by Falk, Stiller could also arrive as more of a rotational option rather than an out-and-out starter as Zubimendi would have been.
Midfield is perhaps not at the very, very top of Slot and Richard Hughes’ list of priorities this summer, but we still think this is one to keep an eye on