Liverpool eye €45m Fabinho replacement

Robin Bairner

• 4 Mar 2023 19:50 GMT
• 11 min read

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has already identified his top priority to replace Fabinho in the heart of the Anfield side’s midfield.

The Reds have been in poor form this season, with the midfield pinpointed as the area in which they most need to improve.

An ageing midfield corps has struggled to maintain the pace that has been such a hallmark of Klopp’s style, with the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson failing to find anything like their best level.

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Changes will be made in the summer, with the Brazilian tipped to leave the club, following in the footsteps of Roberto Fimino, who has already confirmed that he will depart on a free transfer when his contract expires. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another expected to go and Arthur Melo’s loan will not be renewed.

With this in mind, the midfield will be overhauled, and according to Calciomercato, Klopp has already pinpointed the player he wants to step into the club.

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The Italian source states that Manuel Locatelli of Juventus is Liverpool’s top summer target.

With Juve suffering financially and unlikely to qualify for the Champions League next season, he is considered to be a viable target, with FootballTransfers’ Estimated Transfer Value of the player €45 million.

How good is Manuel Locatelli?

Locatelli is one of the best performing central midfielders in Serie A this season, accrding to data analytics experts SciSports.

The 25-year-old is technically on loan at Juventus from Sassuolo on a two-year deal, but in the summer there is an obligation to purchase for €25m spread over two payments of €12.5m.

He has played 29 times for Juventus this season without scoring or generating an assist, but it is believed that he can be the answer to Liverpool’s midfield headache, which has plagued them this term.