Liverpool in position to beat Arsenal to sensational star everyone wants | OneFootball

Liverpool will have the upper hand in any move for an in-demand superstar.

There's little question that teams will be throwing money at Lille over the next couple of months. There was already plenty of hype around Ayyoub Bouaddi and it absolutely exploded after his World Cup debut on Saturday.

The 18-year-old was sensational in midfield as he legitimately looked like the most composed player on the pitch. He won tackles, kept the ball, and marshalled play through the middle - doing that against Brazil as a teenager is just extraordinary.

It's no shock, then, that Fabrizio Romano claims the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have all held initial talks with representatives of Bouaddi. The Times indicates that Arsenal intend to push forward on a move, too.

But we think this might be Liverpool's battle to win. They have a clear advantage in the Bouaddi race that their rivals can't match: the prospect of a first-team role.

Arsenal's midfield is set, after all Declan Rice leads it, while Martin Zubimendi had a great debut campaign there. Two midfielders who win tackles and keep things solid.

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PSG boast Joao Neves and Vitinha, of course. Arguably the best midfield pairing on the planet, they're again players who maintain solidity through the middle.

Liverpool do not have this. Ryan Gravenberch had a disappointing campaign, while Alexis Mac Allister struggled even more. Curtis Jones might leave the club, as could Wataru Endo - a player who barely featured as it is.

None of these players are defensive midfielders, either. Liverpool desperately need someone who can win the ball back and be solid in the middle. They need a player exactly like Bouaddi, in other words.

And so there's a clear place in their squad for the Moroccan to develop. He'd have guaranteed minutes, a guaranteed role, and could conceivably slot straight into the starting XI.

That's something Liverpool's rivals can't offer. They'd merely be signing Bouaddi as a development project, while the Reds would want him as a star for the here and now.

That may just swing things. Liverpool are in a much better position to get this one done.