Liverpool have shown in recent years that they will pay top prices for established quality.
Bradley Barcola joined from Paris Saint-Germain on 31 August in a deal worth up to £123m. Liverpool paid £106m up front, with up to £17m in add-ons.
He is the third player to join Liverpool for more than £100m, after Alexander Isak (£125m) and Florian Wirtz (£116m) last summer.
That is not how Liverpool built every part of their squad.
In July 2017, they signed Andy Robertson from relegated Hull City for an initial £8m, with the fee able to rise to £10m through add-ons.
Robertson left Anfield this summer after nine seasons, when his contract expired. The deal has since been described as one of the club’s best-value signings.
Liverpool are expected to be one of the busiest clubs in the 2027 January transfer window and midfield is a concern for Andoni Iraola’s team.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Liverpool scouts are set to attend a Champions League tie in Rotterdam on Wednesday.
The Italian outlet says the player they are watching is Feyenoord midfielder Gjivai Zechiel.
They claim Liverpool have followed him closely for many weeks and have already seen him impress at De Kuip this season.
Scouts are expected to watch him again when Feyenoord host Como.
Zechiel is a 22-year-old central midfielder who can play as a No 8 or a No 10. He was born in Rotterdam and came through the Feyenoord academy, with loan spells at Sparta Rotterdam and FC Utrecht.
He made his Netherlands debut on 1 October as a substitute in a 2-2 draw in Greece. He has two caps.
His club form has been strong. He has five goals and four assists in eight Eredivisie appearances this season and was named Eredivisie Player of the Month for August.
Feyenoord beat AZ 2-0 on Saturday to go top of the table.
Feyenoord head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst has said Zechiel’s mind was on a transfer when he arrived this summer.
Van Bronckhorst said the midfielder’s quality showed in training and that he wanted to keep him. Zechiel has since extended his contract until mid-2029.
Liverpool are not the only club watching. According to reports, Arsenal and Chelsea have also watched him closely.
Feyenoord rejected Lille’s final offer of €17m including bonuses this summer. Reports in September put the club’s valuation at about €30m.
Tuttomercatoweb add that some Como players could also catch attention on Wednesday. The outlet describes this as largely speculative. They name Maximo Perrone and Lucas Da Cunha as players who could end up interesting the Reds.
Perrone is a 23-year-old Argentine midfielder whose Como contract runs until 2029. Da Cunha is a 25-year-old French midfielder.
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