Liverpool could be in for a big summer and enters the market as the Premier League champion. That has to be a big appeal for players who might potentially be of interest to the Reds.
And, of course, Liverpool has tied down Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to new deals too. “I think if I would put myself in the shoes of a player we might want to sign, it is always nice to tell them — and we don’t have to tell them now as it’s out in the open — that Mo is staying,” Slot said just hours after the Egyptian’s contract extension had been confirmed.
The latest name to be linked with a move to Liverpool is the 24-year-old German midfielder Angelo Stiller, who currently plays for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. And we’ve taken a look at who he is and what his strengths are.
According to The Athletic, when Liverpool learned that Martin Zubimendi was to remain with Real Sociedad this season rather than make the switch to Merseyside, Stiller was someone else who was considered. In the end, Arne Slot redeployed Ryan Gravenberch.
But local outlet Stuttgarter Nachrichten has claimed this week that Stiller remains on Liverpool’s radar a year on. However, the Bundesliga side would demand a fee of around $68 million (£51 million) for his services.
Previously, Stiller has been compared to the former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos. “Toni and I are similar in terms of playing style,” he once said. “Just like him, I try to put my stamp on the game with my strengths.”
(Image: Photo by Marcel Engelbrecht – firo sportphoto/Getty Images)
Stiller tends to play at the base of a midfield, which could make him a good alternative to Gravenberch, who has made that spot his own this season but played more minutes than ever before. He is certainly closer to what Slot wants than Wataru Endo in terms of style.
However, spending such a huge amount of money on someone who would not be a game-changer seems unlikely. Stiller would arrive as very much second choice to Gravenberch, given how good the Dutchman has been in Slot’s debut campaign at the helm.
Left-back and number nine look like much greater needs in terms of transfers. Now Trent Alexander-Arnold is confirmed as leaving, right-back might have to be added to that list too, though that was always a strong possibility.
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Bringing in another body in midfield could be a good idea, though. Gravenberch has never played as much as this before and Liverpool will want to go further in Europe next time around. Depth is never a bad thing.
Stiller has played four times for the German national team so far. He grew up in the Bayern Munich academy system before leaving to join Hoffenheim.
Stuttgart was the team that Liverpool signed Endo from in 2023. Its most expensive sale so far has been Benjamin Pavard, who moved to Bayern Munich for a fee of around $40 million (£30 million).
It is expected that Stiller will comfortably surpass that sooner rather than later, with interest from around Europe.
