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€75m Argentina midfielder one step closer to joining Liverpool

Liverpool look set for a midfield overhaul this summer.

The Reds have been relying on the same cast of midfield characters for a couple of seasons now. And the outgoing Premier League champions are getting diminishing returns from some of them in the ranks.

Ryan Gravenberch has been beneath his best form - despite a new contract worth a reported £277k per week.

And Alexis Mac Allister has also been off the boil. With a contract expiring in 2028 it would be no surprise to see the Reds consider bids for his services this summer.

€75m Alan Varela back on the menu

One name back in the frame for an Anfield arrival as a potential new midfielder is Alan Varela. The 24-year-old is coming off the back of another incredibly impressive season for Porto.

Varela won the title for the Portuguese Primeira Liga giants - with La Nacion in the player’s homeland of Argentina now reporting on Liverpool’s interest along with Manchester United.

“His name and his playing style have attracted the attention of several Premier League powerhouses, such as Manchester United and Liverpool,” the report reads.

Porto take steps to replace Varela with Yirenkyi

Midfield dynamo Varela will be disappointed to have missed out on a place in Lionel Scaloni’s FIFA World Cup squad but a move to a bigger league this summer may help cushion the blow.

For his part Varela isn’t giving anything away just now.

"I'm calm and 100% focused here in Porto,” he said in the La Nacion interview earlier this week before being cut from the World Cup winners’ final squad.

“My agent obviously handles all those matters, and I'm not thinking about that right now.”

Porto are now said to be interested in a deal for FC Nordsjaelland’s Caleb Yirenkyi - another long-term Liverpool target. If the deal for the 20-year-old Ghana international goes through then it could very well mean that Varela will be departing.

Varela renewed his Porto contract last year - and his current deal now expires in 2030. Club president Andre Villas-Boas inserted a €75m release clause in the deal but negotiations with interested parties could bring that price down.

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