The top Liverpool target for January – who Andoni Iraola has already given the green light to signing – will now cost around £20m LESS than first thought, according to a report.

Liverpool sold Curtis Jones to Inter Milan over the summer, and much to the dismay of many of their fans, opted not to sign a replacement.

Instead, the Reds placed faith in Trey Nyoni who continues to prove he’s more than capable of making an impact in both the Premier League and Champions League.

However, with concerns over Florian Wirtz in the No 10 position lingering, and the possibility of Dominik Szoboszlai returning to a more advanced role in place of the German, Liverpool could soon be a man light in central midfield.

Accordingly, TEAMtalk understands Liverpool are ready to splash the cash on a new midfielder in January, and the No 1 target is Alex Scott.

The BBC and Fabrizio Romano have both confirmed Liverpool and Chelsea are interested in signing the 23-year-old England international.

Bournemouth had hoped Scott would agree to sign a new contract, with a club-leading salary of £150,000-a-week and the promise of a release clause put forward.

However, Scott and his camp have made it crystal clear there’ll be no extension. The end result is Bournemouth have now opened the doors to Scott’s sale, and given he’s out of contract in 2028, a transfer sooner rather than later so Bournemouth can extract maximum value makes sense.

Bournemouth would consider £80m-plus for Alex Scott

Reports across the media have insisted Bournemouth want a minimum of £100m before finalising a sale.

The Cherries believe Scott is in the same bracket as the likes of Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez, Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, all of whom moved for well in excess of £100m.

But per the latest from Sky Sports, Scott’s contract situation means Bournemouth will give serious consideration to accepting offers that begin at £80m.

As mentioned, Scott will only have 18 months remaining on his deal come January. It is for that reason that the Cherries might have to bite the bullet and accept an eight-figure sum, not a nine-figure sum.

The report stated: ‘Sources have suggested to Sky Sports News an offer in excess of £80m with add-ons would have to be taken seriously by Bournemouth in January.’

TEAMtalk understands Chelsea believe they’re ‘on track’ to seal the deal in January, though Liverpool cannot be discounted, and Iraola – who managed Scott on the south coast – could prove key.

In the event Liverpool miss out, we understand they are willing to sign an alternative target in the winter window, with Lamine Camara (Monaco) and Manu Kone (Roma) in their sights.