Liverpool's new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke could be eyeing a move for Napoli ace Eljif Elmas as he looks to reconstruct the Reds' midfield this summer…
What's the latest on Eljif Elmas to Liverpool?
That's following a discussion between transfer guru Fabrizio Romano and the player's agent George Gardi, who, when asked by the Italian journalist if there was anything "concrete with Liverpool and Newcastle", stated that "there is interest" in Elmas from the Premier League, as well as Germany and Spain.
Turkish journalist Ahmet Ercanlar (as relayed by football365) claimed in December that Reds manager Jurgen Klopp had a 'private call' with Elmas as he attempted to lure him to Anfield, with Football Transfers valuing the 23-year-old at £26m.
Napoli signed the North Macedonia international for €16m (£14m) from Fenerbahce in 2019 and he has since been a reliable and dynamic midfielder for I Partenopei, starring as his outfit won the Scudetto this season.
How good is Eljif Elmas?
While Elmas starred during Napoli's triumphant Serie A campaign this season, scoring six goals and providing three assists from 35 league matches, he started on only 13 occasions in the division and may now be searching for new pastures.
Despite playing a peripheral role this term, the dynamic midfielder boasts impressive metrics across a wealth of areas, with FBref ranking him among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 21% for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for progressive carries and the top 21% for successful take-ons per 90.
The £32k-per-week star has been lauded as a "jewel" by Gardi, and while he can play confidently across the whole gamut of midfield and wide positions, excels as a creative number ten, which sets him in good stead to emulate someone such as Manchester City's Bernardo Silva.
Silva has been scintillating under Pep Guardiola since signing for the Citizens for £43m in 2017, scoring 55 goals and providing 59 assists from 305 appearances and winning five Premier League titles and two FA Cup trophies among many major honours, on course for a historic treble this season.
The 28-year-old Portuguese star ranks among the top 10% of midfielders for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 18% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for progressive carries and the top 11% for successful take-ons per 90, and, like Elmas, can be deployed across a melange of positions, dynamism of the highest calibre.
Still just 23, Elmas is displaying all the promise of a future gem on the European scene, having already achieved illustrious success in Naples, and given the opportunity, he could thrive at the heart of Klopp's team on Merseyside for years to come.