(Video) Journalist names the CDM who Liverpool ‘want to bring in’; Edwards and Slot ‘love’ him

One journalist has claimed to know the identity of the defensive midfielder that Liverpool are targeting in the transfer window.

Following David Ornstein’s report for The Athletic on Tuesday that the Reds are ‘pursuing a specialist No 6 from outside of the Premier League’, speculation has been rife on social media as to who the mystery player might be.

Speaking on The Transfer Exchange Show on KS1 TV, Steve Kay named Porto’s Alan Varela as the man who’s being headhunted by Anfield chiefs over a possible move to Merseyside before the 30 August deadline.

The reporter stated: “This is the guy they want to bring in as the number six, Argentinian under-23 international Alan Varela. Last year they were linked with him. Michael Edwards and Arne Slot, from what I’m being told today, they absolutely love this player.

“He is a really good player. They see him as that player to play next to his fellow countryman Alexis Mac Alliser, who they want to play further forward in the eight position. That’s probably his best position.”

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As Kay correctly points out, Liverpool had wanted Varela in 2023 when he was still at Boca Juniors before his move to Porto 12 months ago, and the Reds reportedly scouted the Argentine on a few occasions last season as well.

The 23-year-old would indeed give Arne Slot a proven specialist number 6 who could hold down the role for a number of years at Anfield, and his performance figures over the past year indicate a midfielder whose ball distribution is among the best around.

As per FBref, his 87.7% pass completion and match average of 7.13 progressive passes ranks him among the top 13% of positional peers in Europe’s main leagues for both metrics.

While we don’t know for certain yet which CDM (if any) Liverpool will sign this month, Varela definitely stands out as a viable candidate.

You can check out Kay’s verdict in full below (from 1:12:52), via KS1 TV on YouTube:

The post (Video) Journalist names the CDM who Liverpool ‘want to bring in’; Edwards and Slot ‘love’ him appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.