Liverpool are reportedly preparing to submit a package to the tune of £35m to try and sign a prodigous talent who’s been dubbed the ‘future of German football’.
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The Reds broke their transfer record last summer to snap up one of that country’s most talented players in Florian Wirtz, who’s had moments of brilliance in his first season at Anfield but has also come in for criticism over a few ineffective performances.
FSG could now be set to turn their attention to another highly-rated youngster from Germany, as per a report for Fussball Daten.
Liverpool preparing bid to sign Assan Ouedraogo
Liverpool have reportedly added RB Leipzig teenager Assan Ouedraogo (who turns 20 on Saturday) to their shorlist of midfield transfer targets for the summer.
The report claims that Merseyside chiefs are prepared to approach the Bundesliga outfit with a package of approximately €40m (£34.6m) including bonuses.
That figure falls short of the €45m-€50m (£38.9m-£43.2m) range at which Leipzig are apparently ready to open talks for a player they want to keep for at least one more season unless an ‘irresistible’ offer were to be made.
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Ouedraogo has earned comparisons to Xabi Alonso
Liverpool’s interest in Ouedraogo dates back to 2023 when he was breaking through at Schalke 04 and earning stylistic comparisons with a certain Xabi Alonso (bundesliga.com).
He’s since transferred to the Red Bull-owned Bundesliga side and made a goalscoring senior debut for Germany, although his spell in Leipzig has been interrupted by some lengthy injury absences.
Some sources from within his homeland have described him as the ‘future of German football for the next decade’, which attests to how highly he’s regarded, and he’s stood out as a ‘modern number 8’ for his dribbling ability and playmaking qualities (Fussball Daten).
Despite netting just three goals this season, Ouedraogo has some of the best 90-minute averages for attacking metrics among Bundesliga midfielders in 2025/26, as seen in the figures below from Fotmob.
2025/26 Bundesliga Per 90 minutes Percentile among positional peers
Shots 2.72 99th (top 1%)
Shots on target 1.25 97th
‘Big chances’ created 0.68 97th
Assists 0.34 95th
Non-penalty xG 0.25 94th
Goals 0.34 93rd
xG 0.25 93rd
Chances created 1.36 82nd
Liverpool are well-stocked in midfield at present, but with speculation surrounding the futures of Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister of late, it’s a position they might need to address urgently if either or both of those were to depart.
The Reds have a solid trading history with Leipzig in recent years – will it be an avenue they exploit once again this summer?