According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are exploring a move for Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde.
For a rumoured fee of around £55million, the 25-year-old could be a valuable addition to Liverpool’s engine room.
Having already captured Alexis Mac Allister for a fee of £35million, the Reds could secure two hugely talented midfielders for less than the £100million that would’ve been needed to stand any chance of landing Jude Bellingham.
But in this article we’re going to focus solely on Federico Valverde and why the Uruguay international would be the perfect signing for the Reds.
Who is Federico Valverde?
Federico Valverde is a 25-year-old box-to-box midfielder for Real Madrid, who is also capable of playing as a wide right-midfielder.
The Uruguayan has made 204 appearances for Real Madrid during his time at the club, with 33 goal contributions in total.
34 of those appearances were in La Liga last season, where Valverde scored seven goals and assisted four.
Valverde has also impressed on the international stage, with 49 caps to his name and five goals for Uruguay.
However, the recent signings of Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni could force Madrid to cash in on Valverde to fund potential moves for the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane.
Most Liverpool fans will be familiar with the Real Madrid man after his stunning performance in the Reds’ 1-0 defeat to the Spanish side in the 2022 Champions League final.
In that game it was Valverde who notched the assist for the Vinicius Jr. winner in that game.
How would Valverde fit in at Liverpool?
Valverde would fit perfectly into both systems used under Jurgen Klopp recently, whether that be the 4-3-3 or the 3-4-3 with a box midfield.
In the 4-3-3 system, you would see Valverde slot into the Jordan Henderson role on the right-hand-side of the middle three.
Alternatively, in the 3-4-3 system Valverde would play in the top right corner of that box midfield with Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold as a double pivot behind.
That system would likely see Alexis Mac Allister and Valverde operate as the two advanced midfielders, carrying the ball forward and looking to provide for the front three.
That progressiveness is backed by his stats, boasting 5.42 progressive passes per 90, 2.93 progressive carries per 90 and 3.22 shot creating actions per 90.
However, perhaps more essential to fixing Liverpool’s midfield problems is the running stats of Valverde.
Jurgen Klopp’s midfield has consistently been criticised for a lack of legs and intensity, with Fabinho, Henderson and Thiago all arguably on the downwards curve in terms of performance.
If there’s one thing that Federico Valverde will offer in abundance, it’s hard-work and a relentless high-press which has been heavily missed in Jurgen Klopp’s side in the past couple of years.
Summary:
In my opinion, this would be a fantastic piece of business from Liverpool that would be the ultimate fix to many of Liverpool’s problems in midfield.
In all honesty, this deal looks like it may be tricky to complete but I would be strongly encouraging this move to go ahead.
Madrid aren’t like LFC who would always sell in order to fund transfers….they can still buy and retain their assets…don’t get your hopes up