Liverpool eyed as landing spot for Valencia's Musah as Klopp seeks midfield reinforcement

Liverpool's midfield is thinning. By summer, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and James Milner will all be free agents. Arthur Melo's loan from Juventus carries a £32.5 million option to buy that the club is unlikely to exercise. That's potentially four departures from a position already stretched thin, which means Jurgen Klopp will need to rebuild in earnest. Jude Bellingham remains the primary target—the club believes it's in pole position to sign him—but one midfielder won't be enough. The shortfall has opened the door to a wider search, and among the names circulating is Yunus Musah, a 20-year-old American midfielder at Valencia.

Musah spent his youth at Arsenal between 2012 and 2019, moving through their academy before departing for Spain. At Valencia, he has become a regular starter, and his performances at the World Cup in Qatar caught attention across Europe. He's already accumulated over 100 senior appearances for club and country despite his age. Arsenal has been linked with a move to bring him back to London—reports from Italy suggested the Gunners had an offer rejected—but Liverpool has also made contact with his representatives, according to reporting from 90min.

The financial picture makes Musah an intriguing option. Valencia's asking price sits around €20 million, roughly £17 million, a modest sum in the modern transfer market. His contract contains a €100 million release clause, but that figure is largely theoretical; the club will negotiate at a fraction of that cost. For Liverpool, the arithmetic is straightforward: a young, proven midfielder at a reasonable fee, filling a genuine need.

What's more interesting is how Klopp apparently views the signing. Eric Wynalda, a former United States international who holds the record for most appearances in the USMNT with 106 caps, has spoken publicly about Musah's potential move to Anfield. According to Wynalda, Klopp sees Musah as a corrective measure—a second attempt at the profile that didn't quite work the first time. Naby Keita arrived at Liverpool in 2018 for £52.75 million, a substantial investment that never delivered the expected returns. The midfielder has been injury-prone and inconsistent, a disappointment relative to his billing. Wynalda suggests Klopp believes Musah offers a similar skillset but with a better chance of success.

"Keita came to Liverpool and is a similar profile to Musah," Wynalda said. "It didn't quite work out for him and Klopp. Klopp is looking at Musah in the same light." He acknowledged the unflattering comparisons—Musah has been called a "poor man's Wijnaldum," a reference to Georginio Wijnaldum, who departed Liverpool in 2021—but framed the move as pragmatic. Thiago Alcântara, Liverpool's other central midfield option, is 31 and aging. Musah represents youth and potential at a price the club can afford.

The broader context matters. Liverpool's midfield has been a problem for months, and the departures looming next summer will force Klopp's hand. Bellingham is the marquee signing, the player who could anchor the midfield for the next decade. But Musah, if the move materializes, would be the depth piece—the young talent brought in to compete and develop while the club's established stars age out. It's a calculated gamble on a player who has already shown he can perform at a high level, even if he hasn't yet reached the ceiling of his potential.