Liverpool's new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke is looking to raid his former club and sign Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven this summer.
What's the latest on Micky Van de Ven to Liverpool?
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp will have his primary focus on replenishing the midfield after falling short in the quest for Champions League football this year, but Liverpool does require a freshening of the defence too.
And according to Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung (via Football Oranje) Liverpool are 'seriously interested' in sealing a deal for the 22-year-old as a cheaper alternative to RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol, who is a remarkable talent but valued at €110m (£95m).
Van de Ven would be expected to cost Liverpool €40m (£34m), which certainly seems plausible when considering the emphasis will indeed be on adding to the midfield ranks after the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Should Liverpool sign Micky Van de Ven?
Liverpool conceded 47 goals during the recently-concluded Premier League campaign which had a detrimental effect on Klopp's seasonal goals, ending up without major silverware and finishing outside the top four for the first time in seven seasons; last term, the Reds finished second on 92 points – one point behind Manchester City – with a joint-best 26 shipped goals all year.
While the midfield's failure to protect the defence has been at the epicentre of the woes, targetting an up-and-coming star could pay dividends in cementing the foundation for lasting success.
Van de Ven has forged 33 appearances in the Bundesliga this season and kept 11 clean sheets, completing 88% of his passes, averaging 1.4 tackles and 3.1 clearances per game, winning 64% of his ground duels and completing 70% of his attempted dribbles.
The 6 foot 4 colossus also possesses some of the most phenomenal speed in the game, clocking up a rate of 35.87 km/h to illustrate his advantage in tracking back and intercepting in transition – something that could prove invaluable given the high line that Klopp likes to play.
Indeed, as per FBref, the Dutchman ranks among the top 10% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90, which only strengthens the argument that he could play an effective role at Anfield, aptly contributing to the forward surges just as handily as earning his defensive stripes.
Also competent as a left-back, the "flourishing" – as lauded by journalist Ronan Murphy – Van de Ven could emulate established phenom David Alaba, with the Real Madrid defender offering a strikingly similar skill set to the Netherlands U21 captain.
Listed as a comparable player to Van de Ven on FBref, the Austrian gem has been heralded as an "unbelievable talent" by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and ranks among the top 24% of positional peers for progressive carries per 90.
Germany legend Lothar Matthaus said: "Alaba doesn’t just perform to 100 per cent of his abilities at the back, but he closes the space, pings passes about and runs with the ball at speed. Usually players can only manage to do one or the other."
If Van de Ven can continue to make the requisite adjustments to his game, he could yet forge a successful career on Merseyside, emerging as one of the most dynamic defenders in the business, so Schmadtke must look to land his former prodigy at Anfield.
