This summer is going to be huge for Liverpool Football Club. There is still plenty to play for in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign and Liverpool will be hoping to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League.
However, thoughts are already turning to the summer and the potential incoming players. There are plenty of rumours circulating online regarding the players who could be arriving at Anfield in the summer, with the midfield a clear priority.
Qualification for the Champions League is going to have a significant influence on the summer transfer market for Liverpool. Without being able to offer a player football at the highest level, it could lead to difficulty in attracting the biggest names, with Jude Bellingham being a good example.
Liverpool clearly want to bring the England international to Anfield in the summer but they are expected to face competition from Real Madrid. Borussia Dortmund will try and keep the midfielder but competition for his signature is going to be fierce. There are also rumours Manchester United could make a bid and they are likely to offer more in wages than Liverpool can afford.
Not that money may be at the top of the list of priorities for Bellingham and he may prefer to join the club he believes will be best for his continued development at the top of the game. However, if Real Madrid come calling, it is going to be tough to turn them down.
Mason Mount is another player who has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool in the summer. The Chelsea midfielder has been out of favour at Stamford Bridge this season and has completed 90 minutes only once in his last 8 appearances for the Blues. His struggles with form and fitness means Mount has only 3 goals and 6 assists across all competitions this season and is no longer a first choice in the Chelsea starting XI.
If we look back to last season, Mount his double figures for both goals and assists in the Premier League, scoring 11 times and recording 10 assists. Even this season, which has been hugely disappointing for Mount, sees him performing better than any Liverpool midfielder.
At the time of writing, Thiago has not scored or created a goal this season, Naby Keita has not scored or created goal this season, Curtis Jones has not scored or created a goal this season, Jordan Henderson has 1 assist and 0 goals to his name, and Harvey Elliot has 1 goal and 2 assists.
Mount looks the perfect fit for Liverpool in terms of what they have been missing from midfield this season and he has only one year left on his current contract following this season.
Unfortunately for Liverpool, Bayern Munich have shown an interest in Mount following the arrival of Thomas Tuchel. Mount won the Champions League with Tuchel at Chelsea and some of his best football came under the guidance of the German. Mount could be tempted by a fresh challenge in a new country, meaning Liverpool could miss out.
If Liverpool were to lose both Bellingham and Mount to other clubs in the summer, it would be a massive disappointment. It would leave the club having to look for alternatives and that is not the position any top team wants to be in during the summer transfer window.