Liverpool's Search for Defensive Midfielder Continues: Alex Scott on the Radar

Liverpool’s search for steel in midfield is not over yet. Despite briefings to the contrary, one well-placed reporter insists the club still have a defensive midfielder firmly in their sights as the transfer window ticks into its final week.

The need is obvious. Liverpool were far too easy to slice through in the middle of the pitch last season, and the 2-2 draw at Newcastle on Sunday only underlined the problem. The calls have grown louder for Richard Hughes to deliver a top-class number 6 before the window closes next Tuesday.

James Pearce wrote in The Athletic that Liverpool’s hierarchy do not plan to sign a midfielder in the coming days, with priority shifting towards wide attacking options. That doesn’t mean the holding role has been abandoned behind the scenes.

Alex Scott at the top of the list

Miguel Delaney of The Independent reports that Liverpool have a clear “top target” for the defensive midfield role. Multiple sources point to one name: Alex Scott of Bournemouth.

There is a catch. A big one.

Bournemouth are understood to want around £90m for the 23-year-old. Liverpool are not in a position to go that high, creating what’s described as a major complication. The feeling around the deal is that the Reds may have to park their interest until next summer.

That delay carries an obvious danger. Chelsea are monitoring Scott and weighing up a possible late-window move, even with Bournemouth adamant they will not sell in the final days of this market. Any pause from Liverpool invites a rival to steal in.

Perfect profile, awkward timing

Talk of Scott to Anfield first surfaced in early June, with transfer reporter Alex Crook describing it as “one to watch”. Nearly three months on, nothing has moved.

It isn’t because Scott lacks the profile. He is not a classic destroyer in the style of Fabinho or N’Golo Kanté, but his numbers last season, via FotMob, paint the picture of a modern holding midfielder: aggressive in regaining possession, progressive with his passing, and confident carrying the ball through pressure.

That blend is exactly what Liverpool are missing. With Curtis Jones now gone, the squad has lost another English midfielder comfortable in tight spaces and able to knit play together. Scott’s ability to win the ball and launch attacks would plug a glaring gap.

The problem lies in Bournemouth’s stance. The south coast club are described as absolutely unmoved in these final days of the window. No discount, no late compromise, no softening of the £90m valuation.

Perhaps FSG have read the room and accepted that forcing a deal now would be a waste of time and energy while they chase other targets. Yet the equation is simple: if even the smallest opening appears for Alex Scott before Tuesday night, Liverpool cannot afford to hesitate.