Throughout the transfer window, one of the areas Liverpool really needed to improve in was midfield, especially since they lost so many players there to unexpected transfers and end of contracts.
Many purchases were made, such as those of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, but another name was also targeted: Eljif Elmas.
That’s according to Corriere dello Sport, who reveal that two clubs, including Liverpool, came knocking for the North Macedonia international.
It’s stated that both RB Leipzig and the Reds ‘wanted to buy him’ and and was as far as ‘offering €30m’ to purchase the remainder of his contract at Napoli.
However, that was met with a ‘firm and decisive’ no by the Serie A side, partly because they want to use him and because they were in a position to do so since his contract expires in 2025.
For Liverpool, that will have led to them targeting other players, but it’s clear that they were impressed by his performances under Luciano Spalletti last season.
The 23-year-old had been a big part of their success as a rotation option and contributed to six goals and three assists in 36 appearances in the league.
Liverpool clearly saw a spot for him in their squad, but the money on the table simply wasn’t enough.
