Liverpool turn their attention away from the Champions League and back to the Premier League this weekend as they prepare to travel to face Bournemouth away from home.
The Reds are six points clear at the top of the table ahead of their trip to the Vitality Stadium and will go nine points clear with a win over the Cherries, as Arsenal do not play Manchester City until Sunday.
Arne Slot’s side come into this match off the back of a 3-2 defeat to PSV, with a much-changed squad, last time out, but did beat Ipswich 4-1 in their last top-flight clash.
The Reds will be focused on picking up all three points against an in-form Bournemouth team, that beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 next weekend, and there may not be much attention being paid to the January transfer window, which slams shut on Monday.
Slot revealed, in an interview with the BBC, that he is happy with his current squad but that there is work going on behind the scenes to identify targets for the summer window, to ensure that they have enough options to compete on all fronts next season.
This ties in with one of the most recent transfer links that has emerged for the Premier League leaders, as they are reportedly eyeing a player ahead of a move at the end of the season.
Liverpool's interest in Bundesliga starlet
According to BILD reporter Christian Falk, Liverpool are one of a number of clubs keeping an eye on Xavi Simons’ situation with German side RB Leipzig.
The reporter claims that the Reds, Manchester United, and Manchester City are all monitoring the Netherlands international with a view to making a move for him at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Falk reports that the three Premier League teams have shown an interest in the Dutch playmaker, despite his permanent transfer to RB Leipzig from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain only going through this week.
The German journalist adds that the Bundesliga outfit are willing to listen to offers for the attacking midfielder in the summer transfer window, which will be just five months after their deal to sign him permanently from PSG, having spent the past 18 months on loan with Leipzig.
He also reveals that they would be open to a fee of up to €80m (£67m) for the Dutchman and that his new contract with the German side is due to expire in the summer of 2027.
Transfer Focus
Giving a 21-year-old player of Simons’ talent a two-and-a-half-year contract may indicate that selling him on for a profit has been the plan all along, as it seems strange not to want to tie him down to a four or five-year deal to secure his future at the club.
Signing the Dutch starlet may not be at the top of Liverpool’s agenda for the summer, however, as they still need to agree a new contract with Mohamed Salah.
Why Liverpool have to keep hold of Mo Salah
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s matches, Slot once again confirmed that the club want the Egypt international to put pen to paper on an extension with the Reds, as his current deal is due to expire at the end of the season.
Earlier this month, TEAMtalk reported that Salah wants a three-year extension on £400k-per-week wages, making him the highest earner in the club’s history, and that his preference is to remain at Anfield, but there is yet to be an agreement with Liverpool on those terms.
The board must be as flexible as possible to reach an agreement with Salah and his representatives because there is no getting away from how important he is to Slot.
Goals
19
1st
Assists
13
1st
Key passes per game
2.3
1st
Big chances created
17
1st
Dribbles completed per game
1.7
1st
As you can see in the table above, the former Chelsea and Roma man currently leads the team in pretty much every meaningful attacking statistic, with more goals, assists, ‘big chances’ created, key passes, and dribbles completed than any other player in the squad.
This illustrates just how influential the left-footed forward is for Liverpool and why losing him on a free transfer in the summer would be a huge blow for Slot and the club, which is also why it is so important that they manage to agree a new deal with him.
If the Reds can secure Salah’s long-term future at Anfield then they could also bring in Simons to be a dream addition for the Egyptian star next season and beyond.
Why Xavi Simons would be a dream for Mo Salah
As aforementioned, the Liverpool legend is currently the biggest contributor as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the Premier League for the team this season.
This means that he has to carry the side from a goalscoring and a creative perspective, which may prove to be too much work moving forward – even in the second half of this season – to maintain consistently.
Therefore, signing a player with the quality to take some of that load away from Salah’s shoulders could be a dream for the winger, which is why he could love the addition of Simons from Leipzig in the summer.
The Netherlands international, who analyst Ben Mattinson claimed is “destined for greatness”, has missed 13 games with an ankle injury so far this season, but has still managed four goals and six ‘big chances’ created in 11 appearances in the Bundesliga.
Appearances
32
Goals
8
Big chances created
14
Key passes per game
2.5
Assists
11
As you can see in the table above, Simons was a regular starter for Leipzig in the 2023/24 campaign and showcased his creative quality week-in-week-out in the German top-flight.
The 21-year-old, who can play out wide or in the middle as an attacking midfielder, is a star who has the ability to take on some of the responsibility that Salah currently has creatively, freeing him up to focus more on scoring goals.
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Simons could, therefore, be a terrific signing for Liverpool to be the creative hub of the team, creating ‘big chances’ and providing key passes consistently to the likes of Salah and Cody Gakpo in the final third.