Kembali
Liverpool are leading the race to complete the signing of Bournemouth and England midfielder Alex Scott, reliable journalist Lewis Steele has claimed.
The £100m-rated Cherries ace has emerged as a constant rumoured transfer target for the Reds, with England manager Thomas Tuchel waxing lyrical over him during the recent international break:
“First start and what a start, what a performance. He is so smooth on the ball, his decision making is at the highest level. He plays with so much confidence. He is so active, so confident. The work rate off the ball. He is just the complete package. He gave us a lot of mobility and a lot of variety and work rate in the centre of the pitch.”
According to The Daily Mail‘s Steele, Liverpool are in the “driving seat” when it comes to the race to sign Scott in 2027, with Chelsea also in contention, among others.
Bournemouth are potentially open to the idea of selling the 23-year-old during the January transfer window, with the Reds possibly looking to swoop in and seal a reunion with Andoni Iraola.
Scott’s rise over the past year or so has been hugely impressive, with the midfielder forcing his way into the England setup and catching the eye with his all-round ability.
He has the versatility to play both a disciplined and box-to-box role, and given his age, his peak years should still be well ahead of him, which is a positive to Liverpool signing him.
The fact that Iraola knows Scott so well can also only be a good thing, with the Reds’ head coach heaping praise on him after his England call-up last year:
“I am pleased for him. I think he has been playing very well and, also, I suppose the good performance with the under-21s in the summer has also been very valuable. I am very happy for him and happy for the club because in an English club, to have someone representing your country I think is good. Especially for him but also for the club.
“Alex is very smart and he knows a lot of the teammates from the young [England] teams. For sure, he has to use this chance to learn everything he can, keep fighting and keep being very humble, so it’s not just once and he has more chances to establish himself for more opportunities.”
There is a nagging feeling that Scott isn’t quite what Liverpool need at the heart of their midfield, however, with the England naturally attacking like Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Reds need a proper No.6 who can sit in and do the dirty work, giving the defence protection, and while Trey Nyoni is a massive prospect, he is not quite ready to be the solution yet.
If Scott moves to Liverpool, there will be plenty to like about it, but £100m, or a similar to that amount, could be spent more wisely by Iraola and the recruitment team.