2DJD09B Florian Neuhaus (BMG) Borussia Monchengladbach - Hertha BSC Berlin 27.10.2020, Fussball; 1. Bundesliga, Saison 2020/21 Foto: Moritz Muller Copyright

Liverpool ‘consider’ £35m deal for Florian Neuhaus, with player ‘asking’ for move

Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus is available this summer for £34.7 million, and it is claimed that Liverpool are interested in the 23-year-old.

The Reds face an important summer ahead in the transfer market, following a frustrating title defence and the likely departure of a number of senior players.

Gini Wijnaldum is chief among those expected to depart, with the Dutchman’s contract due to expire, and given his status as a first-choice starter, identifying his replacement is paramount.

Liverpool have been linked with a number of midfielders in recent months, and Neuhaus is one of the latest to have been touted with a move to Merseyside.

German journalist Christian Falk has told BILD that the club have been “watching the player for a while,” and with the No. 32 available due to a £34.7 million release clause in his contract, he “asks to play” at Liverpool.

“It’s true that they’ve been watching the player for a while,” Falk said, according to Sport Witness.

“The whole thing is not yet concrete according to our information, but it can, of course, become concrete, and he asks to play there.”

Falk went on to rule out both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich as destinations, with the upcoming move of manager Marco Rose from Gladbach to Dortmund ensuring the club has “distanced itself” from Neuhaus.

“Dortmund has distanced itself after the Rose transfer and will not take any player from its team,” he explained.

“Bayern has to save money after the €42.5 million transfer of Upamecano; it is currently rather unlikely that they will put another €40 million on the table.

“That means it must be another league if Neuhaus wants to change, and there is the Premier League and Liverpool, of course.”

SEVILLE, SPAIN - Tuesday, November 17, 2020: Florian Neuhaus of Germany, Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain during the UEFA Nations League match between Spain and Germany at Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla on november 17, 2020 in Seville, Spain (Photo by Jeroen Meuwsen/Orange Pictures)

At 23, Neuhaus has played 83 times in the Bundesliga, with further experience in the Champions League and Europa League, along with three senior caps so far for Germany.

Whether he would serve as a like-for-like replacement for Wijnaldum is questionable, however, with Neuhaus better in more advanced positions, which has helped him score six and assist six in 31 games for Gladbach already this season.

But at £34.7 million, he could be seen as a valuable addition to the squad, particularly as there are doubts over the futures of both Xherdan Shaqiri and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

It is likely that, as with his Gladbach team-mate Denis Zakaria, Liverpool are just monitoring the situation with Neuhaus at present – with Wijnaldum yet to even confirm his intention to leave – but it is one to keep an eye on.