Liverpool could take a huge stride in their midfield rebuild this summer, with rumours of Jurgen Klopp‘s interest in Benfica‘s Florentino Luis persisting.
Who are Liverpool signing this summer?
Liverpool fell by the wayside last season, failing to qualify for the Champions League after fighting for a historic quadruple the season before; the midfield was chastened for its shaky performances, and James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all left at the end of their contracts in June.
Long-serving captain Jordan Henderson and veteran holding midfielder Fabinho are also on their way to Saudi Arabia, while astute acquisitions of Alex Mac Allister and Dominick Szoboszlai have been made to bolster the Reds’ core.
And now, according to The Athletic, Luis is on Klopp’s shortlist for the 2023/24 season, with the Portugal international – who is thought to have a €120 million (£103 million) release clause – seen a “like-for-like” successor for his Anfield-based confrère.
Is Florentino Luis a defensive midfielder?
Luis, dubbed a “top player” by Ruben Dias, was instrumental in Benfica’s success during the 22/23 season, appearing in 54 games and winning the Primeira Liga, as well as performing admirably in the Champions League and reaching the quarter-finals, avoiding defeat against both Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
According to Sofascore, the 23-year-old machine played 33 times in the Portuguese top division, earning an average rating of 7.10 while completing 90% of his passes, averaging 2.5 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game, and winning 60% of his duels and 72% of his dribbling attempts.
This statistically places him in the top stratosphere of defensive midfielders in the business, capable of transporting his skills to stand as one of the Premier League’s undisputed stars; according to FBref, he ranks among the top 4% of midfielders across Men’s Next 8 divisions (below the top European five) for pass completion, the top 14% for progressive passes, the top 1% for interceptions, and the top 4% for tackles per 90.
He is the ideal replacement for Fabinho, who similarly keeps things simple and recycles possession for his team before pushing the ball through the thirds, whereas Liverpool’s pursuit of the prodigious Romeo Lavia would provide a different slant on the system, with The Athletic describing the Belgian as a “ball carrier” who is the “opposite of Fabinho.”
While Lavia, 19, could end up at Anfield in the coming weeks, Luis would bring an invaluable dimension, a state of defensive duality, an unwavering pillar amid a whirlwind of change, filling Fabinho’s boots and providing the tenacious and industrious cog to allow the forward-thinking teammates to flourish.
Given that he plays for the Eagles, Luis might follow in the footsteps of Liverpool’s signing of Darwin Nez last summer, who signed from the Portuguese giants in a club-record £85 million transfer.
Nunez had a mediocre debut season on English soil, but he oozed quality in abundance that simply needs to be channelled.
According to Liverpool Echo’s Theo Squires, the Uruguayan is a “agent of chaos” who ranks among the top 12% of forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty goals and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90 over the past year, according to FBref, though he missed 20 big chances in the league and clearly needs to work on his striking precision.
The £140k-per-week star is a first-rate talent, and if Luis arrives at Anfield this summer, he would undoubtedly improve the Liverpool midfield, possibly even providing the central solidity Nunez requires to truly unleash the full range of his abilities under Klopp’s tutelage.
