Borussia Monchengladbach are standing in the way of any Liverpool move for Florian Neuhaus, according to Fabrizio Romano [via Anfield Watch].
The lowdown
The Athletic reported in June that Neuhaus was a more 'realistic target' for Liverpool than Premier League options Yves Bissouma and Youri Tielemans if indeed they intend to replace PSG-bound Georginio Wijnaldum.
Liverpool have scouted 24-year-old Neuhaus 'extensively' with a view to a potential transfer, according to The Athletic.
The Germany international played 33 Bundesliga matches for Monchengladbach last season, scoring six times and setting up five goals (via WhoScored). He averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 1.3 dribbles and 3.6 accurate long balls per game.
He previously had a €40m (£34.2m) release clause in his contract, but that has now expired. His deal still has another three years left to run (via The Athletic).
The latest
Romano corroborated The Athletic's claims, adding that Liverpool had been in contact with his representative, but the 'problem' is Monchengladbach's stance. They want to extend his stay at Borussia Park for another 12 months, at which point Bayern Munich could emerge as a rival in the race for his signature.
"Neuhaus is a player who is highly appreciated with different skills to someone like Renato Sanches, so he could bring something different to Liverpool and they've scouted him, but the problem is his current club," Romano told Anfield Watch.
"Borussia Monchengladbach are trying to keep him for one more season and he knows about the potential opportunity to join Bayern Munich next summer for 2022.
"Liverpool were in touch with his agent some weeks ago but there's nothing imminent."
The verdict
The clear question here is why didn't Liverpool just pay the release clause. Clearly, they don't believe that Neuhaus is worth just shy of £35m and hoped to negotiate a lower fee.
Instead, Monchengladbach are now back in control of the situation and they may even have raised the price tag. If that's the case, then there's little the Reds can do now.
He would seem to be an excellent signing to replace Wijnaldum, but Liverpool can't really afford to play the waiting game. They need to bolster their midfield depth this summer to guard against the threat of an injury pile-up, something which afflicted them elsewhere last season.
In other news, this Liverpool star's tweet delighted many Reds supporters.