Liverpool is thought to hold an interest in Bayer Leverkusen wing-back Jeremie Frimpong ahead of the summer as Arne Slot seeks a solution to Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving to join Real Madrid at the end of his contract.
In March, Liverpool.com reported that there was genuine interest from the Reds in the Bundesliga star, who would count as being homegrown because of his past as a former Manchester City academy player. Speculation has only heightened since Alexander-Arnold confirmed his exit that Frimpong could be the man turned to this summer as a successor.
Joining Leverkusen from Celtic in 2021, Frimpong has played more than 100 games in Germany. He also has 12 caps for his country, the Netherlands, and would join Dutch contingent Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo at Anfield should he make the move.
Excelling under Xabi Alonso as a wing-back, Frimpong would have to adapt to playing under Slot. But he is hugely talented, with Alonso having brought the best out of him on a consistent basis. Sky Germany has reported that Liverpool has held initial talks over a move.
Before last season’s Europa League final, Alonso was full of praise for Frimpong. There was a school of thought that Frimpong — given his small release clause — would leave last summer, but he ended up staying put.
“Since I got here for the first time, since the first day, Jeremie has been a key player for us and for myself,” Alonso said. “He’s a great guy.
(Image: Pau Barrena/Getty Images)
“His personality… he brings a lot of joy to the locker room. So you need to keep him having this joy. But as well as become more mature.”
Alonso is set to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer and Frimpong is likely to as well. In addition to Liverpool, Barcelona has also been credited with an interest in the 24-year-old.
“Jeremie is a special player,” Alonso had said when he was linked with a move away previously. He also added, on another occasion, that he is exceptional at pressing and putting the opposition under pressure.
“We defended going forward,” Alonso explained after a win over Union Berlin. “The pressure from Frimpong was very good. That’s the mentality that we want to have.”
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Alonso is set to move on at the end of the season. Carlo Ancelotti is leaving Real Madrid and the former Spain midfielder has been lined up as a replacement for the Italian.
“Lived it. Loved it. Farewell, coach,” Frimpong posted on social media when the news that Alonso was set to depart the Bundesliga was revealed.
Liverpool.com says: Frimpong is a completely different kind of full-back to Alexander-Arnold, but the Reds were never going to find a carbon copy. Conor Bradley is a big talent too but he will need some help in the right-back berth. Frimpong could be a good solution.
