Klopp could unearth his own De Bruyne in Liverpool swoop for £51m magician

However, there is always room for improvement and Liverpool are looking for players who can add to the manager’s options both on and off the pitch.

Alex Baena Liverpool are one of a number of clubs keeping tabs on Villarreal star Alex Baena ahead of a potential attack on his career, according to the latest report from 90 Minutes.
Aston Villa are said to be interested in the talented youngster under Spaniard Unai Emery, with the Villa manager urging the club to keep an eye on the winger as they look to sign him in January or the summer. Villa have been impressed by his performances so far this season and are currently considering bringing him to England.

According to 90-minute Premier League’s giants Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal could challenge the Villans in January or later in the season, having been linked with the Spanish superstar over the past 12 months. Baena’s current contract with Villarreal has a £51million release clause and the report claims that any interested parties would need to match that fee to tempt him away from his homeland in 2024.

However, there is no word on how much United are willing to pay to secure his services or if they are willing to officially sign him in January. But if Klopp can bring Baena to Anfield, Manchester City could have their own version of Belgian superstar Kevin De Bruyne.

Why Baena looks like De Bruyne?
The 22-year-old prospect is an excellent creative threat who can consistently break open opposition defenses in the Premier League, just as the Belgian has done in England in recent years.

According to FBref, De Bruyne, along with fellow Premier League master Martin Odegaard, is one of the players most similar to Baena based on last year’s statistics.

Baena’s most similar player in the men’s Big Five over the past 365 days player do. De Bruyne Martin Odegaardone. During this period, the Manchester City wizard ranked in the top 1% of men’s Big 5 leagues and European competitions for assists (0.51), shots attempted (5.98) and expected assists per 90 (0.51) . The 32-year-old star has scored 96 goals and provided 153 assists in 358 appearances in all competitions for the Citizens, playing primarily as a striker or central midfielder but also featuring in a few matches.De Bruyne has helped his side win five Premier League titles, five League Cups, two FA Cups and a Champions League title during his time at the Etihad so far. He has been a constant creative presence in the heart of Pep Guardiola’s midfield and the aforementioned stats show that De Bruyne is one of the best creators in Europe.

Experienced talent can create opportunities very quickly compared to their peers.Position mates and Klopp can now sign players with the potential to reach similar levels.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig once described Baena as an “aggressive all-rounder” and rated his potential at 9/10. He also named former Liverpool player Philippe Coutinho as a similar player, giving Reds fans an insight into his style of play. Alex Baena’s season by the numbers Versatile attacking midfielder, who plays mainly in defense but can also be used on the wing, has consistently demonstrated his creative qualities this season.

In La Liga, he was able to open up his teammates’ defenses with ease, creating 2.4 key passes per game and seven “big chances” in 14 league matches.

Furthermore, no Liverpool player has registered more than 2.4 assists per game for a Premier League club this season and no central or attacking midfielder has registered more than two assists per game.

de Bruyne Described as a “beautiful” technician by journalist Josh Bunting, the 22-year-old could give Klopp the creative flair to beat the likes of Mo Salah and Darwin Nunes in midfield.

This shows that it can be done. For the third and last chance. Baena has put up De Bruyne-like numbers at the top of the pitch in La Liga this season. He has averaged 0.42 passes, 5.01 shots and 0.29 expected assists per 90 minutes so far at Spain’s top level, putting him in the top 5% of midfielders in that category for each measure. Over the past 365 days, the Spain international has ranked in the top 2% in expected goals (0.27), top 5% in shots (4.46) and top 3% in assists (0.28).