Will cost over €40million; talks held with agents; player wants Liverpool move NewsNow
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Will cost over €40million; talks held with agents; player wants Liverpool move

Will cost over €40million; talks held with agents; player wants Liverpool move

Liverpool have held talks over the last few days for Florian Neuhaus but the European Championships will disrupt their plans to sign him.

On Friday afternoon, news broke in Germany that Liverpool have held talks to sign Florian Neuhaus from Borussia Monchengladbach this summer.

With the EUROs underway, however, there will be no more developments until Germany's tournament ends and given the talent Joachim Low has at his disposal, it's likely they will progress to the knockout stages.

What is the story coming out of Germany?

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA - JUNE 02: Florian Neuhaus of germany runs with a ball during the international friendly match between Germany and Denmark at on June 02, 2021 in UNSPECIFIED, Austria. (Photo by Stefan Matzke - sampics/Corbis via Getty Images)
INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA - JUNE 02: Florian Neuhaus of germany runs with a ball during the international friendly match between Germany and Denmark at on June 02, 2021 in UNSPECIFIED, Austria. (Photo by Stefan Matzke - sampics/Corbis via Getty Images)

He goes on to say that it will cost over €40million but there is no release clause so Michael Edwards will need to reach an agreement with Gladbach over a fee which could complicate matters.

Who is Florian Neuhaus?

The 24-year-old is one of the few central midfielders in the world that can match Georginio Wijnaldum's press resistance and being six years younger than the Dutchman, he has time to perfect his ability to retain possession under pressure.

MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY - JANUARY 25: Florian Neuhaus of Borussia Monchengladbach scores his team's third goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and 1. FSV Mainz 05 at Borussia-Park on January 25, 2020 in Moenchengladbach, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY - JANUARY 25: Florian Neuhaus of Borussia Monchengladbach scores his team's third goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and 1. FSV Mainz 05 at Borussia-Park on January 25, 2020 in Moenchengladbach, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Neuhaus' (84.36%) passing isn't quite as good as Wijnaldum's (92.71%) but the Gladbach star has a much more progressive, risk-based role compared to the Dutchman, whose role is centred around ball retention and ensuring Liverpool limit their chances of conceding after possession turnover.

It's for this reason that Wijnaldum (218) also lost the ball on fewer occasions compared to the reported Liverpool target (398). Signing Neuhaus, who I'd describe as a deep-lying playmaker, is more in Thiago's mould.

His arrival could make an alteration to Jurgen Klopp's tactics which would be interesting as he didn't tweak his side all that much this season despite being without all of his senior centre-backs at various stages.

What are my thoughts on Neuhaus?

He's undoubtedly a very talented player and given that his release clause has expired and that he still has three years on his contract with Borussia Monchengladbach, signing him could prove to be tricky.

That said, my preference would be for Liverpool to sign either Youri Tielemans or Bissouma.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 09: Yves Bissouma of Brighton and Hove Albion battles for possession with Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion at Selhurst Park on March 09, 2019 in London. United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 09: Yves Bissouma of Brighton and Hove Albion battles for possession with Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion at Selhurst Park on March 09, 2019 in London. United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The latter is someone I've enjoyed watching over the last two years and he came of age in the Brighton midfield this season, showing his flair and dominance in the engine room and he's certainly ready to move on from the south coast outfit.

We were told recently, after a meeting with his agent, that it will cost around £50m to sign him which has seen the Reds cool their interest in the Malian for the time being while the Reds assess their other options.

We haven't heard anything about Neuhaus from our contacts which actually makes me feel as though there is something in it because Liverpool tend to keep wraps on their transfers quite well.

With Germany expected to progress to the latter stages of the EUROs, we are unlikely to get too many developments on this story which is unfortunate but with the transfer window open until the 31st of August, there is no rush to get signings in through the door.

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