Liverpool have been heavily linked with a number of potential midfield signings this summer, and it was reported that the club were prioritising that position following the signing of Darwin Nunez, although nothing has materialised in that regard as of yet.

The Reds came close at the very start of the summer transfer window when it was claimed that Aurelien Tchouameni had even agreed on personal terms with Liverpool, but he eventually made the move to Real Madrid instead.

Since then, the Merseyside giants have been linked with a number of midfielders including Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, but again the speculation of securing his signature this summer was quickly shot down as the Bundesliga club are unwilling to entertain any offers in 2022.

Despite the German club's reluctance to sell their valuable midfield talent, it was reported that they have slapped a £103m price tag on the 19-year-old after receiving huge interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world, but again they would not be open to discussing that fee until next summer.

As a result, Liverpool are left with two options - wait it out for Bellingham to become available, with the risk that Dortmund refuse to sell again next summer; or find an alternative in the meantime to bolster their midfield ahead of the 2022/23 season.

One player who has been recently linked with a move to Merseyside is Florian Neuhaus, a midfielder who has been on Liverpool's radar for some time now.

The £35m-valued Borussia Mönchengladbach machine, who was dubbed "outstanding" by team-mate Marcus Thuram, could be the cheaper solution to satisfying the desire for Bellingham, as the Dortmund midfielder was one of the most comparable players to Neuhaus over last season according to FBRef.

Despite Bellingham having more goal contributions (11) and a better pass completion rate (84.5%), Neuhaus has outperformed him in several aspects, with a better shots on target accuracy (39.6%), a better success rate for dribbles completed (53.3%) and more success with his pressures (34.6%).

With that in mind, the signing of Neuhaus would be a huge coup for Liverpool and could save FSG millions which can be reinvested into another midfielder or other areas of the squad.

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