Liverpool warned midfield could be picked apart amid Real Madrid & Barcelona transfer interest

After winning the Premier League title for a record-equalling 20th time, the Reds spent heavily in the summer transfer window as Slot oversaw a major overhaul of his squad. They broke the British transfer record twice in the same window as they brought in Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. The English champions also spent heavily to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt as they looked to bolster their attack, and the club strengthened the backline by signing full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

Slot's men got off to a flying start in the new season as they won seven matches in a row across all competitions, but from the end of September they experienced a massive dip in form as they lost six out of their next seven matches, including five straight losses in the league. They somewhat recovered from the setback with back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, but on Sunday they fell to an humbled 3-0 loss at the hands of old foes Manchester City.

According to the Anfield Watch, Liverpool are at risk of losing two of their key midfield stars in the upcoming transfer windows as Real Madrid and Barcelona are plotting moves for Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, respectively. Both midfielders were signed by Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2023 as the German coach was looking to bolster the team's midfield. They took time to adjust to their new surroundings and experienced a slow start, but since last season the duo have become an integral part of the Reds' line-up. After starring in their title-winning campaign, Szoboszlai and Gravenberch are among the first names in Slot's team sheet. 

Both players have their Anfield contracts running until 2028 but Liverpool are reportedly worried that they could be snapped up in the coming windows. While the Hungarian midfielder has attracted interest from Real Madrid and Manchester City, Barcelona apparently have their eyes on Gravenberch.

The report also adds that, realistically, the Blaugrana are not in a sound financial position to lure Gravenberch away from Anfield, as he still has over two years left on his contract. However, a report from Fichajes has claimed: "Barcelona are monitoring the Dutchman and have identified him as a priority for the upcoming summer transfer window."

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Transfer specialist and journalist Fabrizio Romano reported last week that Liverpool have begun early talks with the midfield duo over new contracts, as he wrote on X: "Liverpool have started talks over new deal with Dominik Szoboszlai, after exclusive story 2 weeks ago. The plan was clear: Szobo and Gravenberch to discuss new contracts soon, as talks started with the Hungarian. Club super happy + top performances." 

Szoboszlai and Gravenberch are currently believed to earn around £270,000 a week between them. The new deal is expected to extend those terms further by a couple of years and also bring a significant pay rise for both.

Other than Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, Slot also has to focus on the contracts of other first-team stars like Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate. Discussions with the French centre-back are understood to be ongoing, while Robertson’s future remains uncertain as the club are focusing on their long-term options. Konate is also wanted by Real Madrid and the English champions would hope to avoid a Trent Alexander-Arnold-esque situation where they lose the Frenchman for nothing with his contract expiring next summer.