Bournemouth appear to have eased their resistance to selling Alex Scott in January, with the Cherries now looking to trigger a bidding war that could draw Liverpool into the race.
Liverpool have shown tentative interest in the midfielder in recent months, although Chelsea have been the most persistent suitors. The London club made several approaches during the summer, with their highest bid believed to be worth around £68million.
Bournemouth had initially warned that their key players, including Rayan and Eli Kroupi Junior, would not be sold before next summer. However, the club are understood to have privately accepted that Scott could leave midway through the season if specific conditions are satisfied.
Those conditions include Bournemouth looking increasingly secure in the Premier League and a fee of £100m being offered. The Cherries are yet to win a league match under Marco Rose, who replaced Andoni Iraola.
Liverpool making a move during the winter transfer window would be unexpected, although the club have not been afraid to act in January in recent years.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, appear intent on encouraging a contest for Scott’s signature.
Liverpool’s interest in Alex Scott is genuine, while Bournemouth have softened their position on a possible January sale
Alex Scott impressed for England during the recent international break but is currently out with a muscle injury
Sources claim the south-coast club believe Liverpool are serious contenders for Scott and may even hold the advantage because of his previous connection with Iraola.
Sceptics could argue that Bournemouth are using Liverpool’s interest to put pressure on Chelsea to increase their offer.
Nevertheless, Liverpool clearly admire Scott, who performed impressively for England in the latest international break before sustaining a muscle problem. The major question is whether the Reds would pay £100m for a player with only 18 months left on his contract by January.
Liverpool have not added a midfielder since 2023 and currently have no new contract in place for Alexis Mac Allister. Strengthening the midfield is therefore expected to be a priority over the next 12 months.
The club are also admirers of Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, who is another player attracting interest from Chelsea.
Leoni latest
Giovanni Leoni has slipped from the spotlight at Liverpool, and supporters will have to wait longer before seeing him back in action.
The Italian defender has been working through a lengthy recovery after suffering a cruciate ligament injury on his debut 13 months ago. He is not expected to return to team training until the next international break.
Even once he resumes training, Leoni’s rehabilitation will require patience. His workload will be carefully controlled, meaning he will not participate in every session and will be brought back gradually.
He could also be given minutes with Rob Page’s Under-21 side as he works to regain match fitness.
Leoni was initially expected to return to training in late September or mid-October, but that timetable has been delayed several times.
Giovanni Leoni has been sidelined since suffering a cruciate ligament injury on his debut more than a year ago and must wait at least a few more weeks before returning to first-team training
Hungarian media stoke Szoboszlai flame
Dominik Szoboszlai remains hopeful of returning to action in the next week after missing the last two games through a hamstring injury – despite claims from Hungary that it is a serious issue.
The vice-captain sat in the stands for Sunday’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City and then was not part of the squad against LASK – although he joined the team in travelling to Austria.
Rumours had suggested Szoboszlai’s injury might have been worse than Iraola’s initial verdict – he said it was just an ‘overload’ on international duty – and Hungarian media then claimed Szoboszlai would miss the next few matches.
But sources close to the vice-captain have played down any fears of the issue being a more serious problem. And then Szoboszlai himself, talking briefly to British reporters after Liverpool’s win at LASK, said ‘we will see’ when it comes to a return in the next week.
He will be given a chance at the very least to be part of the squad travelling to Brentford.
Sources close to Dominik Szoboszlai have played down any fears of the midfielder having a serious injury
When will young buck Abe be fit?
There is a lot of buzz in the Liverpool fanbase around teenager Josh Abe, who went on the first team’s pre-season tour of America – and many fans have asked Confidential when they can expect him to be fit from surgery on his shoulder.
It is understood he is still about a month away from returning to training.
Mixed zone diaries: s’il vous plait, Bradley?
If only I had not ditched French for German at GCSE! Well, my German’s not up to much either, as I have proved repeatedly on this week’s trip to German-speaking Austria.
After the win over LASK, there was a cordial exchange with hat-trick hero Bradley Barcola where he was asked for a chat in English and declined, to which I – for some reason – said: ‘We can do the interview in French and I’ll get AI to translate it!’
He replied: ‘You speak French?!’
I don’t… and he was soon saying his goodbyes as he left with the match-ball.
Barcola did not need to talk anyway, his facial expression said it all: he was euphoric to open his Liverpool account with a treble. Now can he do it on a cold, autumnal afternoon in Hounslow?
Bradley Barcola was in euphoric mood after opening his Liverpool account with a hat-trick against LASK
Loan watch: Elliott impressing
After starring in the Under-21 Euros in 2025, many might have expected Harvey Elliott to be a fully-fledged international by now. Instead, his prospects have nosedived.
But the recent international break was a chance for Elliott to reset, build fitness and confidence under new Valencia manager Javier Aguirre (who readers may remember from his touchline antics with Mexico at the World Cup).
Elliott changed Sunday’s game against Racing Santander after coming on as a substitute and Aguirre said: ‘When I arrived, I saw the data for Dani Raba, Harvey Elliott, and Hugo Duro, and that they weren’t playing. I watched them train and thought, “These guys have to play”.’
Small steps but it appears the Liverpool loanee is heading in the right direction. Across the city of Valencia, meanwhile, Ifeanyi Ndukwe is making strides at Levante.
The defender, a star of pre-season who could not get a work permit and was forced to leave on loan, has featured in their last three La Liga matches – culminating in a last-gasp equaliser at home to Sevilla on Monday.
His emergence has helped his bid for a work permit in England.
Kop Kids: striker Will is all Wright!
Liverpool battled to a thrilling 4-2 victory in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday afternoon on the outskirts of Linz, coming from two down to beat LASK.
The main man, as has often been the case this season, was young striker Will Wright, who scored a hat-trick and assisted Luca Eden for the other goal.
With Hugo Ekitike out for a bit longer yet and Liverpool having fitness issues in attack, Wright, 18, may soon be knocking on the first-team door.
Young striker Will Wright could be knocking on the first-team door after impressing regularly for Liverpool’s youth teams
The week ahead: Iraola’s date with former right-hand man
One of the first people to text Iraola after the Champions League draw was made was Inigo Perez, the Villarreal boss who was the Basque’s No 2 at Rayo Vallecano.
Perez could not get the necessary work permit to join Iraola at Bournemouth so remained in Vallecas, where his side made the Conference League final only to lose to Crystal Palace.
He is now at Villarreal and has a similar style of play to Iraola. ‘Pressing is the best playmaker,’ he once said, and he has described his team as ‘ordered chaos’.
No doubt the pair will share a glass of red wine at Anfield on Tuesday.
