Why would Liverpool want Dominik Szoboszlai?
It is a summer of overhaul for Liverpool’s midfield with a host of players departing the club and a whole lot of new ones needing to come in.
James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Fabio Carvalho will not be at the club next season, leaving the ageing trio of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara together with the youthful prospects Stefan Bajcetic and Harvey Elliott.
Consequently, Liverpool have been linked with almost every single half-decent midfielder in Europe. They got the Alexis Mac Allister deal over the line very early and an agreement for RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai has gathered pace.
Here’s why Liverpool are so keen on plugging one of their holes in midfield with Szoboszlai.
While there is a big desire to bring in a defensive midfielder, Liverpool clearly want to score a lot of goals from midfield next season. Mac Allister is attack-minded with a track record of finding the net and the same can be said for Szoboszlai.
Szoboszlai scored ten goals from midfield for RB Leipzig in the 2022/23 season after making 48 appearances, showing both how important he is to the Bundesliga side and also how prolific he can be from the midfield. He also chipped in with 13 assists across all competitions.
The Red Bull graduate is incredibly technically gifted and he stands at a commanding 1.87 metres (6’1). He has the physical profile of a player who can transfer to the Premier League well and can be of use in both boxes. His passing range is excellent and even with a big fee, it could be a very smart piece of business. Across his whole career, Szoboszlai’s output has been impressive; in just 226 games he has scored 64 times and provided 73 assists.
Another major point in his favour is his incredible versatility, proving to be as comfortable on either flank as he is in the middle of the pitch.
|
Club |
Appearances |
Goals |
Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
|
AKA Red Bull Salzburg U18 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
|
Red Bull Salzburg UEFA U19 |
6 |
1 |
6 |
|
FC Liefering |
42 |
16 |
11 |
|
Red Bull Salzburg |
83 |
26 |
34 |
|
RB Leipzig |
91 |
20 |
22 |
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90min revealed Liverpool have entered advanced talks to sign Szoboszlai at the end of June. There was competition from Newcastle for the 22-year-old midfielder but that seems to have dissipated and he is the Reds‘ to lose at this stage.
In terms of the transfer fee, the release clause in Szoboszlai’s contract means Liverpool will have to pay £60m. There are conflicting reports about whether that has expired, but regardless it shows the Merseysiders will have to part with a lot of money to ensure they get the Hungarian. 90min understands the club are confident they can haggle Leipzig down to £50m.
The deal is separate from the negotiations that will see Carvalho spend a year on loan at Leipzig and the interest in the likes of Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and Nice’s Khephren Thuram is not expected to go away even if this deal is completed. Jurgen Klopp’s side are also still looking at Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga.
LISTEN NOW
On this week’s edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth, Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss Mason Mount’s impending move to Man Utd, Arsenal’s various deals, Liverpool’s pursuit of Dominik Szoboszlai and more!
If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!