Liverpool Football Club are understood to be in the market for a midfield signing.
The Merseysiders attempted to pursue a move for Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, though were subjected to a sharp turn of face from the Spaniard in the summer transfer window.
The La Real star’s decision to stay put in San Sebastian has since seen Ryan Gravenberch shine at the base of Arne Slot’s midfield. Landing another top holding midfielder, then, could see the waters muddied in that regard.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will attempt another run at Zubimendi in the winter. The No.4, for his part, has made it clear that he wouldn’t be open to leaving Sociedad in the January transfer window.
Could Liverpool sign Merlin Rohl in January?
Intriguingly, the Anfield outfit’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, isn’t sitting on his laurels when it comes to midfield reinforcements.
Merlin Rohl, Freiburg’s ‘little Messi’, is understood to have caught the eye.
Liverpool could yet try to sign the Bundesliga midfielder in the summer transfer window provided all goes well with his recovery from a severe ankle ligament tear.
“I don’t think a Liverpool move for Merlin Röhl will happen in January. First off, he’s injured at the moment,” Christian Falk informed CaughtOffside.
“It was my story at BILD that first shared details of the Reds’ interest. Freiburg reacted very fast, as they were fully aware of Liverpool’s interest. So, they handed him a new contract on September 18. This is a particularly interesting point, as Freiburg have been very secretive about the length of the contract agreed. So, you see that Liverpool’s interest has made them very nervous.
“Röhl’s a very good player who’s also featuring with Germany’s youth team. Some call him ‘young Messi’; he’s not quite the same player but sometimes, yes, such skills come to the fore.
“I think Liverpool are watching him for the future and will see how he comes back from injury. He’s definitely a topic for the future – not for the winter window, but, if he recovers well, perhaps Liverpool will try again in the summer. Ultimately, Freiburg can’t offer the kind of contract that would withstand an offer from Liverpool.”
How good is Merlin Rohl?
The 22-year-old star has earned rave reviews in his native Germany.
Attracting comparisons to Leon Goretzka, the footballer has been described as a ‘complete midfielder’ (Tomas Oral) and a ‘very dangerous’ (Antonio Di Salvo) operator in quotes carried by bundesliga.com.