Liverpool are looking to sign a midfielder this summer following the departure of Curtis Jones to Inter Milan and one of the names constantly mentioned in that conversation is Bournemouth star Alex Scott.
Andoni Iraola arrived at Anfield with a reputation for getting the best out of his players, and much of the transfer chatter around Liverpool has centred on names from his old dressing room at Bournemouth.
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Alex Scott is the player whose name keeps resurfacing. The 23-year-old has been a mainstay of Bournemouth’s midfield under Iraola, and interest from Merseyside has simmered since the manager’s appointment.
Liverpool are far from alone in that interest. Chelsea have made contact over a potential deal, while Arsenal and Manchester United have also been credited with tracking Scott’s situation this summer.
Bournemouth have rejected an approach in the region of £70m and have consistently maintained that the England international is not for sale.
Scott has also turned down a new contract offer from the south-coast club, leaving two years on his existing deal and adding a layer of uncertainty to his long-term future at the Vitality Stadium.
Against that backdrop, Miguel Delaney of The Independent has reported that Scott is in fact Liverpool’s leading target for the defensive midfield role, rather than simply one name among several being monitored.
Delaney writes that Liverpool “actually have a top target for defensive midfield” and that “multiple sources say that is Iraola’s hinge player at Bournemouth, Alex Scott.”
The complication, according to the report, is financial.
Bournemouth’s valuation sits at around £90m, a figure Liverpool are not currently in a position to pay.
Delaney states there is “a sense that Liverpool will wait until next year, and make do in the way that Arne Slot did in 2024-25.”
That approach would place fresh emphasis on Ryan Gravenberch, who could become “newly important again” in Liverpool’s midfield plans if a move for Scott is delayed.
Delaney also flags the risk in waiting.
Chelsea remain “extremely keen” on the 23-year-old, and while Bournemouth have warned off all suitors this window, insisting they will not entertain bids, Chelsea are considering whether a high offer might change that stance.
Iraola’s track record of adapting to circumstances beyond his control is also raised in the report.
Delaney describes him as a coach who “doesn’t publicly complain” and has “repeatedly shown a willingness to tactically compromise,” qualities that have led executives to view him as “a ‘dream appointment’ in the modern environment” shaped by directors and sporting hierarchies.
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