Liverpool's Midfield Crisis Amid Winger Rebuild
Liverpool’s winger rebuild is racing ahead. Their midfield, though, is in danger of being stripped bare.
Andoni Iraola is driving a bold reshaping of his squad, with the focus firmly on wide areas and defence. Yet as the club pushes hard to land more attacking talent, two central midfielders are edging towards the exit and no replacement is in sight.
Wings and defence reshaped
Liverpool’s recruitment priority is clear: get Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye out of PSG. If those deals drop, they will join Victor Munoz to make it three new wingers through the door in a single summer – a dramatic overhaul of the flanks.
Behind them, the back line has already been shaken up. Jeremy Jacquet, who impressed in Liverpool’s final pre-season outing against Como on Sunday, has arrived, while Ronald Araujo has come in on loan. Those moves signal a clear attempt to add freshness and physicality at the back.
In midfield, though, the club are standing still. For now.
Bajcetic talks gather pace
That stance looks increasingly risky given what is happening with Stefan Bajcetic.
On Monday, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Getafe have opened talks with Liverpool over the 21-year-old. The “formula” of the deal is still being thrashed out, with no clarity yet on whether the Spanish side are pushing for a loan or a permanent transfer.
Bajcetic is understood to be open to heading back to Spain if Liverpool decide to cash in. Matteo Moretto reported last month that the midfielder is keen on a return to his home country, with Rayo Vallecano and Getafe both tracking him.
“Iraola likes him a lot,” Moretto said at the time, adding that the manager wanted to see Bajcetic up close in pre-season before any decision. The plan was simple: if he stayed, he would renew his contract; if not, he would look for a new club in LaLiga.
That decision point has now arrived. Bajcetic’s current deal runs out next summer, which complicates any loan. Liverpool would need him to extend before sending him out, otherwise a temporary move makes little sense from the club’s perspective. The cleaner option is a straight sale to Getafe.
Either way, the conversation is active. And it pulls another thread from Iraola’s midfield.
Curtis Jones closing on Inter switch
On the other side of Europe, Curtis Jones is pushing hard for a fresh start of his own.
The academy graduate wants to leave his boyhood club and join Serie A champions Inter Milan. Over the weekend, two major obstacles to that move were effectively cleared.
Liverpool have dropped their asking price from £34m to £30m, bringing it closer to Inter’s reach after the Italians previously saw a £26m bid knocked back earlier in the window. Inter are now expected to return with an improved offer.
At the same time, Inter needed to clear space in midfield before going again for Jones. That box has been ticked with Davide Frattesi sent on loan to Lazio, a deal that includes an option to buy. With Frattesi out of the way, Inter are free to accelerate their pursuit of Jones.
If that bid lands in the right place, Liverpool look ready to talk.
A midfield left on edge
Strip away both Jones and Bajcetic, and Iraola is left with just five recognised senior midfield options: Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Trey Nyoni.
On paper, that quintet offers quality and variety. In reality, it leaves Liverpool walking a tightrope. A couple of injuries or suspensions and the middle of the pitch starts to look dangerously thin for a club aiming to fight on four fronts.
The wings are being rebuilt. The defence has new faces. The question now is stark: can Liverpool really afford to gamble on a midfield this light in a season that demands depth everywhere?
