Looking ahead to the summer window, Liverpool will likely be keeping an eye out for the bargains as they look to address a huge concern in the middle of the park.
Free transfers will inevitably appeal at a time when the club is supposedly keen on going full pelt for Borussia Dortmund’s uber-expensive (and rightly so) prodigy Jude Bellingham at the end of the campaign.
One man they could consider, amongst a host of names kindly compiled by Will Rooney at Liverpool World, is that of Real Madrid’s Dani Ceballos.
We were said to hold some interest in the player back in 2019, with former Arsenal loan star admitting that Jurgen Klopp’s side had been interested prior to his switch to the Emirates, though he didn’t see the 55-year-old’s style as the right fit for him personally at the time.
“That a club like Liverpool loves you is a pride, but my decision was to go to Arsenal because Emery grabbed my hand and told me to go together,” the 26-year-old was quoted as saying by the Mirror.
“Klopp is a great coach but you have to see the game philosophy of each team.
“Right now players of my philosophy of play wouldn’t fit in a team like Liverpool in the best possible way. But that you are related to the greats is because you are doing things right.”
One might wonder whether the Spaniard is regretting his decision given that’s been reduced to playing only 1,153 minutes this term in 31 games – by contrast, he’d played double that amount (2,369 minutes) in 40 games for Arsenal in the 2020/21 campaign.
At his current age, of course, he wouldn’t be considered an unlikely Liverpool target provided that our German tactician and recruitment team still believe he has something to offer.
It remains to be seen whether the club will bite if Ceballos’ contract is allowed to run out this summer, though we’d be far from surprised to see any free agents considered if our budget is looking a little strapped due to a lack of Champions League football and/or poor placement in the league table.