Liverpool launch spectacular January raid for ‘untouchable’ midfielder who walks straight into Slot’s XI – report | OneFootball

Liverpool have reportedly launched an ambitious January transfer window raid on French giants PSG for an elite midfielder who walks straight into Arne Slot’s starting XI, although TEAMtalk questions whether they can actually succeed in their chase.

Having appeared to get their faltering campaign back on track with wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, Slot’s men came crashing back down to earth as they were crushed 3-0 by Manchester City at the weekend.

The result leaves Liverpool a whopping eight points behind leaders Arsenal in the defence of their Premier League title and seemingly needing a jolt in the arm come January.

That could come in the form of outstanding PSG star Vitinha, if the latest reports on the Portugal international are to be believed.

As per CaughtOffside, the Reds have identified the 25-year-old as a possible target for the January transfer window.

Slot’s midfield has been identified as an area that needs a significant upgrade, leading to Vitinha emerging on the club’s radar, however unlikely a swoop might seem.

The defensive midfielder joined PSG from Portuguese side Porto back in 2022 and has gone on to make over 160 appearances for the club across all competitions.

However, it’s the last 18 months where Vitinha has really exploded onto the scene and established himself as one of the top midfielders in the world. Indeed, during that time, PSG won the Champions League, Ligue 1 and the French Cup under Luis Enrique.

And it now appears that Liverpool are ready to try their luck in a daring January raid, with scouts at the club regarding Vitinha as one of the most technically gifted players in Europe.

Can Liverpool actually pull off Vitinha deal?

While there’s no doubting that Vitinha would bring creativity, attacking prowess and a high level of technical ability to Liverpool’s midfield, even from a deeper role, the Portuguese will be incredibly difficult to lure away from Paris.

Vitinha, who came third in the Ballon d’Or voting, is currently valued at around €90million (£79m / $104m) and remains under contract until the end of the 2028/29 campaign.

It’s also been claimed that PSG regard him as ‘untouchable’ and have no intention of allowing a sale, particularly mid-season.

That being said, PSG are in a position where they need to sell to reduce the wage bill and also comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.

High-wage players who are not central to the new project under Enrique will be offloaded to fund deals for fresh additions, although it’s not thought that Vitinha is one of them.

To that end, it appears that Liverpool could be running up a blind alley if, as the report suggests, they do make a concrete move for the PSG superstar.

First up, Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck is emerging as one of the hottest transfer targets in European football, with Manchester United joining Liverpool in monitoring the 25-year-old, TEAMtalk understands.

Elsewhere, Liverpool are aiming to convince Andy Robertson to discuss terms over a new contract at Anfield, a transfer journalist has revealed, and in news that will potentially deliver a blow for the club which were exploring a move to sign the Scotland captain on a free transfer.