Three Bayer Leverkusen players Xabi Alonso could target at Liverpool
As Liverpool prepare for life without Jurgen Klopp, the attention now turns to who will replace the enigmatic German manager.
HITC Football has reported that Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is understood to be Liverpool’s preferred choice to take over Jurgen Klopp once the German leaves in the summer.
If this is to be true, you would suspect that Alonso would want to bring along some of the key men from his Leverkusen team that have stormed to the top of the Bundesliga and have a four-point buffer over Bayern Munich.
Here are three options the Reds could target:
Florian Wirtz
The first name is of course Florian Wirtz who has performed wonders for the German side this season and it is made even more remarkable because of the serious injury he suffered last season which kept him out for nearly a year.
Liverpool have drastically improved their midfield but one man who maybe hasn’t quite been consistently good enough yet is Dominik Szoboszlai. Wirtz would add the goalscoring edge from midfield that hasn’t been seen at Anfield in a long time.
Wirtz missed the first half of last season but has been fit and firing this campaign with five goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga alone for the German side.
It’s unclear how much Leverkusen would demand for the German prospect but German outlet Kicker claims it will cost more than £80 million. He would elevate Liverpool’s midfield to another level.
Exequiel Palacios
Another name who should be in the frame for the Reds is Argentine defensive midfielder Exequiel Palacios. This season has been the campaign that has seen the 24-year-old explode into life on the big stage.
The Argentine midfielder has scored three goals and two assists for the German side this campaign and the defensive steel he could bring to the engine room would add an interesting dynamic to the Anfield side.
Apart from Wataru Endo, the Reds do not have an out-an-out defensive option in the engine room and Palacios would be a superb option, who excels in tackles, interceptions and blocks, according to FBREF.
He joined the German side from River Plate back in 2022 for just £13 million, so it may well take a considerable amount of money to prise the Argentine away from the BayArena.
Piero Hincapie
The last name on this list has been extensively linked with Liverpool reportedly keeping an eye on Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie.
Like the other names on this list, he has performed superbly well for the German side this campaign. He can operate at left-back and centre-back.
There had been reports that the Reds had seen an offer for the defender knocked back but if Alonso were to move to Anfield, you wonder if the 23-year-old could follow in his footsteps.
According to report claimed a year ago that Hincapie would be available for just £20 million but you wonder now, due to his good form, his price may be set a lot higher than this.
