Liverpool ‘especially targeting’ duo as Klopp looks for new Wijnaldum

Klopp loses cool with journalist over Liverpool's transfer plans

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Liverpool are said to be especially keen on signing Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino and Napoli ace Piotr Zielinski as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to bolster his midfield and finally replace Georginio Wijnaldum. The Reds have struggled for form this season and began the weekend in a lowly seventh position in the Premier League table.

During the 2018/19 campaign when Liverpool won the Champions League, Wijnaldum was the Reds’ star man in the middle of the pitch. And the Netherlands international was influential once again the following season as Liverpool won their first ever Premier League title.

But the player left the club in the summer of 2021 as he headed to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer before being loaned out to Roma. And the Reds have struggled in their midfield ever since, with the ageing Fabinho, Thiago and Jordan Henderson struggling to have the impact they would like. And Klopp is desperate to reinforce the problem area.

According to journalist Rudy Galetti, who was talking to GiveMeSport, Liverpool could target Merino and Zielinski in the summer. The Merseyside giants also have Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat on their list of targets, with the transfer situation set to become clearer in the next few days.

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Merino, who has won 11 caps for Spain, has already played in the Premier League, having spent a season on loan at Newcastle from Borussia Dortmund during the 2017/18 campaign. The 26-year-old made 24 top-flight appearances for the Magpies before joining Sociedad in the summer of 2018.

Merino has gone on to rack up 18 goals and 23 assists in 175 appearances for his current employers and helped them win the Spanish Cup in 2020. But Liverpool could now attempt to bring him to England two years before his Sociedad contract expires.

Zielinski, meanwhile, has spent the last six-and-a-half years at Napoli after joining the club from Udinese in 2016. The 28-year-old, who played for Poland at the World Cup in Qatar, has bagged 46 goals and 40 assists in 305 appearances for his current club and has been a key player for them over the years.

This season, the ace has played in all 18 of his team’s Serie A matches and has helped them storm 10 points clear at the top of the table. And he appeared in all six of his side’s Champions League group games as Napoli progressed to the knockout stages ahead of Liverpool by finishing at the top of the Group A table.

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