Welcome to part three of our scout report from Europe’s biggest leagues. Having already checked out the Premier League and La Liga for potential signings, we’re now having a go at analysing the Bundesliga…
SEE MORE:
A realistic Liverpool signing from every La Liga side: including Barcelona full-back and World Cup winner
A realistic Liverpool signing from EVERY Premier League club, with Chelsea fullback & English forwards
Liverpool transfer news
In the list below, we pick out one potential signing from each of the 18 Bundesliga clubs, who we believe could strengthen our squad ahead of next season. We tell you where we see them fitting in and discuss whether a move could realistically be made.
See what you think…
FC Koln – Jonas Hector (LB)
The 24-year-old full-back as been Cologne’s stand-out player so far this season, with his performances even earning recognition on the international stage – in the form of three caps for Germany. With Jose Enrique having spent the vast majority of the last two years out injured and with Glen Johnson’s contract set to expire, he could be a much needed addition at full-back, putting pressure on Alberto Moreno’s spot in the team.
FSV Mainz 05 – Stefan Bell (CB)
A former Under-21 international for Germany, who has finally established himself this season after spending time out on loan with 1860 Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt. Still only 23, he would make a fine addition to our central defensive options, which could be left somewhat short after this summer. Kolo Toure is out of contract while we can’t expect the likes of Tiago Ilori or Sebastian Coates to have much of an impact upon their returns.
Bayer Leverkusen – Heung-Min Son (LW)
After missing out on Memphis Depay, this 22-year-old South Korean international could be the perfect answer to our problems. The Reds have already been linked with a £15m move for the player by The Metro and while we don’t place much trust in such rumours, we’re intrigued to see if this one goes any further. The talented forward has already scored 16 goals for club and country this season, with 11 of those coming in the Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich – Xabi Alonso (CM)
Dare we dream? What a perfect replacement this would be for the departing Steven Gerrard. There has already been plenty of speculation over Alonso’s future (via the Daily Express), so who’s to say this couldn’t happen? The Liverpool fans would certainly be keen. Alonso, 33 now, remains an iconic figure at Anfield after helping us lift the Champions League in 2005, scoring the equalising goal against AC Milan in the final.
Borussia Dortmund – Sokratis Papastathopoulos (CB)
We’d all love for us to sign Marco Reus, but unfortunately, that’s simply not going to happen this summer. What might happen however, is a deal for the 26-year-old Greek international. A versatile defender, capable of playing both in the middle and on the right hand side of the defence, he could be the perfect remedy to losing out of contract stars Glen Johnson and Kolo Toure this summer.
Borussia Monchengladbach – Granit Xhaka (CM)
Monchengladbach have just sealed qualification for the Champions League and would be loathe to lose any of their best players. However, this 22-year-old Swiss international, who might first have caught your eye playing for Basel if you follow much European football, would be someone the Reds might just be willing to go big for. An exceptionally clever player, with oodles of potential. Could this be an outside bet for a replacement for Steven Gerrard?
Eintracht Frankfurt – Haris Seferovic (ST)
We all know that Brendan Rodgers has one eye on revamping his strikeforce this summer and this 23-year-old Swiss international (yes, another one) could be a decent squad player. He’s scored nine goals for Frankfurt this season and also has experience of playing in La Liga and Serie A. He’s a strong, powerful player who can hold the ball up well. He’s adept at taking it into his feet and then teeing up his teammates and he could be a smart buy.
FC Augsburg – Abdul Rahman Baba (LB)
We mentioned earlier that Alberto Moreno needs a decent understudy in place of Jose Enrique. Well, you can add this Ghana international to that list of candidates. The 20-year-old has been one of the stars of Augsburg’s surprise run to sixth place on the Bundesliga table, which means they’re on the verge of securing Europa League football for next season. He has the highest tackle rate of any player in the division so far this season.
Hamburger SV – Cleber Reis (CB)
Hamburg have been doing a lot of defending this season and one of the few player to shine for them has been this 24-year-old Brazilian. As we’ve already mentioned, we could find ourselves a bit short on defensive cover next season and if Hamburg are indeed relegated then there’s no reason why we couldn’t pick this guy up on the cheap.
Hannover 96 – Ron-Robert Zieler (GK)
This former Manchester United academy prospect has been with Hannover since 2010 and is now approaching 150 league games in the Bundesliga. A five-time German international, he’d be a decent replacement for the departing Brad Jones and would certainly put some much-needed pressure on Simon Mignolet’s number one spot. The Belgian has been excellent so far this season but needs to be kept on his toes.
Hertha BSC – John Anthony Brooks (CB)
This guy comes with the added bonus that he already speaks English. The 22-year-old has featured regularly for the United States team already, playing at last summer’s World Cup and scoring the winner against Ghana in their group stage game. He’s been a regular in the Hertha team since coming through their academy in 2012 and would be a decent prospect to have lying in wait.
SC Freiburg – Roman Burki (GK)
Our second goalkeeping candidate and one that comes without the unfortunate link to our Manchester rivals. The 24-year-old Swiss international current acts as understudy to Diego Benaglio for his national team, while he is also playing regularly for his club side, who he joined last summer. A fine shot-stopper who needs some work on his distribution.
SC Paderborn – Mario Vrancic (CM)
The former Borussia Dortmund player has been one of the shining lights during a difficult campaign for the German minnows. He’s also a former German youth-team international. While we’re not suggesting that he’s a replacement for Steven Gerrard, he could be a decent squad player if we decide to have a more thorough revamp.
Schalke 04 – Max Meyer (AM)
A very Brendan Rodgers kind of signing. The 19-year-old playmaker has struggled for form at Schalke so far this season, although that’s not stopped rumours such as this from the Daily Star. The teenager would add to our array of attacking talent and give Rodgers another versatile midfield option. The one-time German international has already played 60 times for his club side, scoring 11 goals in the process.
SV Werder Bremen – Melvyn Lorenzen (LW)
The 20-year-old winger has massively impressed since emerging from the Bremen academy at the start of the season. He’s only played a couple of times but he’s off the mark with his first goal in the Bundesliga already and looks to have a very bright future ahead of him. He’s actually born in London as well and would perhaps welcome a return to his country of birth.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – Roberto Firmino (AM)
What a brilliant addition this would be. The 23-year-old Brazilian, who can play as both an attacking midfielder and as a central striker, has scored nine goals so far this season, while he also netted 22 during the previous campaign. He’s scored two in his first four games for his country and looks set to have a starring role in this summer’s Copa America. According to The Metro, we’ve already shown an interest as well.
VfB Stuttgart – Filip Kostic (LW)
This 22-year-old winger could complete a Serbian dream-team with Lazar Markovic. He’s scored three goals in 29 appearances so far this season for his struggling side, who go into the last day needing a win to be safe against the possibility of relegation.
VfL Wolfsburg – Bas Dost (ST)
With Wolfsburg reportedly upping their interest in Christian Benteke (via Bild), we could do a lot worse than taking their current first choice goalkeeper. The 25-year-old Dutch international has scored 19 goals in all competitions so far this season. He might not be the first choice striker we’re looking for but he’d definitely be an improvement on some of what we’ve already got.
