Liverpool have been linked with a score of midfielders over the past year, and Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic is the latest star to enter the rumour mill this winter. 

While certain high-profile names such as Jude Bellingham have been at the centre of the debate, it might be that the Reds opt to travel a shrewder route during the January transfer market, and could indeed move for the likes of Brozovic.

That’s according to CalcioMercatoWeb, who claim that the Croatian ace has been distinguished as an option to replace the likely outgoing Naby Keita, who has been riddled with injury issues and is out of contract at the end of the season. 

With Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp having already forked out an initial £35m for prolific forward Cody Gakpo several weeks ago, touting the likes of Bellingham, who has been valued at €150m (£130m), appears implausible, and the industrious Brozovic, who is reportedly available for €35m (£31m), could be the more prudent avenue for the club. 

Partey 2.0

Inter signed Brozovic on an initial two-year loan deal from Dinamo Zagreb in 2015 before cementing the ace on a permanent transfer; he has since made a remarkable 302 appearances, scoring 30 goals and providing 37 assists.

With the substance and significance of his time in the Italian Serie A, serving as a robust central figure and winning several major honours such as the league title and the Coppa Italia, the 30-year-old could indeed be enticed by forging a path for success down another road, and Liverpool are indeed desperate for someone of his ilk.

As per WhoScored, the machine has maintained an average match rating of 7.00 across the entirety of his professional career, which illustrates the assurance and consistency of his performances at the heart of his outfits. 

And with an average passing accuracy of 88%, 1.3 key passes, and 2.1 tackles per outing, the "irreplaceable" nature - as per ex-Inter star Gianfranco Matteoli - of his sweeping presence and the energy that he would instil into the Reds’ fold is crystal-clear.

Liverpool currently languish in tenth place in the Premier League, an alarming ten points off Newcastle United in fourth and having tasted defeat on the past two occasions against Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion, but it is the manner of the losses, and the limp and lifeless levels that present the gravest cause for concern.

Something needs to change, and with Brozovic ranking among the top 14% of midfielders for goals and the top 7% for pass completion, as per FBref, he could thread the cohesion and provide an additional dimension in attack. 

When using the sites ‘similar players’ list, Brozovic bears a semblance to table-toppers Arsenal’s Thomas Partey, who has been a revelation this season. 

As per Sofascore, Partey has recorded an impressive average league rating of 7.17 this season, completing 87% of his passes, making 2.3 tackles and 1.3 clearances per display. 

It is this standard of all-encompassing midfield work, recycling possession and anchoring the centre, that has been so integral in the Gunners’ endeavours, and Klopp must indeed look to emulate if he is to stabilise the red ship in Merseyside. 

Bearing this in mind, it would be ludicrous for Liverpool to fail to even attempt in a bid to sign such a distinguished and adroit technician; the club’s season might be smeared in obscurity, but a well-placed signing could bolster the squad and get Anfield rocking once again.