Fabrizio Romano - Liverpool
Fabrizio Romano - Liverpool
Liverpool prepare to host Villarreal at Anfield on Tuesday night in Champions League matchday three, looking to build on an unbeaten start to this season’s league phase.
Andoni Iraola’s side head into the fixture off the back of a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid and a 6-3 thrashing of LASK Linz, but much of the build-up has centred on fitness concerns through the middle of the pitch rather than that European form.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo all missed the Manchester City defeat and the LASK win with injuries picked up on international duty in September and October.
All three returned for Saturday’s trip to Brentford, with Isak scoring the winning goal, though the appearance proved only a partial boost.
Szoboszlai picked up a fresh issue with the same hamstring that had already kept him out, which Iraola described as a recurrence rather than a new injury, while Gakpo was fit enough only for a place among the substitutes.
That leaves Szoboszlai’s involvement against Villarreal once again in doubt, just as Iraola feared when he warned before the Brentford game that changes would be needed “when we face Villarreal in another three days.”
That midfield strain has coincided with lingering uncertainty over Alexis Mac Allister’s long-term future.
The Argentine has not entered contract talks with Liverpool despite having two years left on his current deal, with Real Madrid and Manchester City both credited with interest.
Mac Allister has previously said he was disappointed Liverpool had not yet offered him fresh terms, even as teammates Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch signed extensions.
Amid that backdrop, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on how Liverpool are approaching their midfield rebuild beyond the current window.
According to Romano on his YouTube channel, Liverpool plan to strengthen their midfield in 2027 with players who can be starters or future starters, rather than simply providing backup.
“If the right opportunity arises in January, Liverpool will be ready to try to make a move,” Romano said. “Otherwise, they will look to the summer. Midfield will definitely be an area of focus in 2027.”
Speaking again on Monday, Romano named two players currently on Liverpool’s radar.
“Liverpool admire Lamine Camara, but it remains to be seen whether they enter the midfield market in January. Alex Scott is also admired, with several other midfielders being scouted and followed.”
“Internal discussions over midfield signings for 2027 are becoming increasingly intense. Whether a move comes in January or the summer remains to be seen.”
Those comments suggest Liverpool’s recruitment team are not planning to rush into a January deal purely to patch over the current injury list, but will act only if the right player becomes available.
Camara and Scott are among the names already being tracked, though Romano’s update makes clear no decision has been taken on timing, and that a wider list of midfielders is also under consideration.
Romano’s update frames the project as a year-long one rather than a one-window fix, with Liverpool seeking players capable of competing for a starting role immediately or in the near future.
For Tuesday’s visit of Villarreal, history favours the hosts.
Liverpool have won three of their four previous meetings with the Spanish side, including both legs of their 2022 Champions League semi-final – a 2-0 win at Anfield followed by a 3-2 victory in Spain that sent them through to that year’s final. Villarreal’s only win in the series came in the away leg of a 2016 Europa League semi-final.
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