Liverpool face huge competition for midfield target this summer

Liverpool will hope to end the season with a win when they play relegated Southampton at St Mary’s on Sunday.

The Reds were on a seven-game winning streak in the Premier League before they were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield by Aston Villa on Saturday.

That result dented Liverpool’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League, and both Newcastle United and Manchester United have since guaranteed their own places in the top four.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will now have to settle for a place in the Europa League next term, and the German will wait to bolster his squad this summer.

One particular area the Reds are looking to rebuild is their midfield, with current stars Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all set to leave the club at the end of the season.

The club have therefore started identifying potential targets to sign this summer, and one of the players that has been heavily linked with the club is RB Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

However, Newcastle United have now joined the Reds in their pursuit of the attacking midfielder.

Dominik Szoboszlai is regarded by many as one of the most promising young players in Europe

According to Sky Sports, Newcastle have been scouting Szoboszlai for a couple of weeks and hold an interest in the player.

The Hungary international has been in the Red Bull set up since 2018 after initially joining RB Salzburg.

Szoboszlai helped Salzburg win four Austrian Bundesliga titles before signing for partner club RB Leipzig for around £20m in 2021.

He has since impressed for Leipzig, scoring 19 goals and providing 22 assists in 89 appearances across all competitions.

The 22-year-old has scored six goals and produced eight assists in 30 appearances this season in the Bundesliga, which has captured the attention of many top European clubs.

He has reportedly left his options open for the end of the season and could search for a move away from Saxony in the summer.

The Hungarian signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with the German side in 2021 and reportedly has a release clause set at around £61m.

However, clubs including Liverpool and Newcastle may try to negotiate a lower figure for the player.