Liverpool are reportedly leading the race to sign Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott in January, with the Reds in the "driving seat" for his signature, according to the Mail. The 23-year-old, who played under Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth, could reunite with the Spaniard at Anfield as the club weighs up another £100m+ signing.
Reds in 'driving seat' for Scott
Bournemouth are willing to sanction a sale for Scott, but would seek a bid of £100m for the England star. Liverpool showed interest in the midfielder this past summer, when he was the subject of an intense pursuit from Chelsea, with Xabi Alonso's side tabling several offers, the highest being £68m.
Scott has 20 months left on his contract, and it remains to be seen whether Liverpool's hierarchy will trigger another £100m+ deal. The Reds are reportedly in the "driving seat" for Scott's signature as Iraola approaches his first January transfer window at the club.
Hamann doubts top-four finish
Former Liverpool star Dietmar Hamann has claimed Iraola will fail to lead the club to a top-four finish like Arne Slot did last season. "Finishing in the top four for Liverpool this season will be a success, but I don't see it happening," he said. "I don't see closing that 25-point gap with Arsenal from last year."
Hamann, 53, said his former side face too much competition in their fight for Champions League qualification. "This season they've got a fight on their hands to finish in the top four," he added. "City and Arsenal are guaranteed if there is no points deduction this season, Chelsea doesn't have European football, and you have the likes of Brighton and Brentford, who have made an impressive start. Then I expect Man United to turn things around at some stage, depending on what happens with the manager."
Hamann criticises spending
Hamann also took aim at Liverpool's spending over the past year, which has included over £300m spent just on Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola. The 2005 Champions League winner added: "Liverpool's only chance is Iraola getting a tune out of those players brought in last year but so far he hasn't managed it."
"Granted, Liverpool are never the biggest spenders, but I believe in the summer after winning the title they thought if we spend now, we can dominate for the next four or five years. And in reality, other than [Hugo] Ekitike before his injury, none of those players have stepped up and performed. So they didn't just overspend, they badly overspent."
Liverpool's immediate focus is avoiding back-to-back Premier League defeats when they face Brentford on Saturday. The Reds are coming off a 3-0 loss at home to Manchester City, but followed that up with a 6-3 win over LASK in the Champions League. Brentford sit fourth in the table and are one of just three teams unbeaten in the opening six games of the season.
