Liverpool have been reported to have presented an offer to Real Madrid for dynamic midfielder Federico Valverde, with Jurgen Klopp still looking to improve his midfield this summer.
What's the latest on Fede Valverde to Liverpool?
That's following recent news from Spanish sources, revealing that the Merseyside outfit have placed a €60m (£51m) offer for the Uruguayan ace.
Los Blancos would not accept such a fee, believing that their energetic and versatile ace should command a figure of €80m (£69m), and whether the Reds have the financial means to complete such a deal with the emphasis still on bolstering the defensive midfield.
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However, the domino effect of Kylian Mbappe's Paris Saint-Germain stance and subsequent links to Madrid means that the La Liga giants might need to recoup some funds, and Valverde could be among those to free up space for the France international.
How good is Fede Valverde?
The all-engulfing game of the 25-year-old is a testament to his growth over the past several seasons in Spain; Valverde has only clinched 33 direct goal contributions from 203 matches for Real, but 19 of those goals and assists came last season.
Hailed as an "absolute machine" by BBC Sport's Raj Chohan, Valverde ranks among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 16% for assists, the top 16% for pass completion and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.
This highlights the 49-cap international's aptitude in front of goal, as a crisp, composed distributor of the ball and as a midfield vehicle, driving into the final third.
Given Liverpool's mass midfield exodus this summer, the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai won't cut the mustard alone, and if Liverpool do decide to move for another midfielder after a No. 6 is signed, Valverde may well be the first-class option.
Technical director Jorg Schmadtke would earn the adulation of the hopeful Liverpool support if he pulled off a sensational deal to sign Valverde, but if it did happen, it might come to the detriment of Harvey Elliott.
Elliott, aged 20, played 46 matches for the Merseyside club last season and scored five goals across all competitions, though he started just one of the final ten Premier League matches of the campaign and was an unused substitute on five occasions, having been branded too "lightweight" by Liam Corcoran.
Liverpool writer Leanne Prescott also wrote that he was "outmuscled" during one display and given the similarities between his game and Valverde's, the Los Blancos star's arrival could spell danger for the prominence of his future role at the club.
Indeed, FBref lists Valverde as a comparable player to the former Fulham youngster, who ranks among the top 8% of positional peers for shot-creating actions, the top 11% for progressive passes and the top 7% for progressive carries per 90, and if Valverde was to join, Elliott might find himself trumped in regularity of match action.
Whether this would prove to be an auspicious move for the Anfield side remains to be seen, but Elliott is still young and developing both his physicality and technicality, and if Klopp decides to keep the faith in the young Englishman, his potential is such that he could just emulate Valverde as he grows into his skin.
