Liverpool linked with Weston McKennie - Things to know about him

Bengaluru, July 13: Liverpool needs to build up on their recent success of this season and needs further addition for the next season.

Midfield is one of the areas Jurgen Klopp is reportedly looking at minutely.

With Jordan Henderson entering into his 30s, James Milner already on the decline and Adam Lallana leaving the side in summer, the Reds need more depth in the middle of the park.

However, the word on the grapevine is that the Merseyside will not have a big budget to spend over the summer due to the effect of the pandemic. Henceforth, they are now reportedly only looking at cheaper alternatives.

Recently it has been rumoured that the Premier League winners now have been linked with a move with Schalke's 21-year-old exciting midfielder Weston McKennie.

The United States starlet is still something of an unknown quantity for most therefore here are a couple of things you need to know about the player:

Career so far

McKennie spent three years in Germany aged 6 to 9 when his father was working at Kaiserslautern. He joined his first club, FC Phönix Otterbach as a six-year-old in 2004. But he went back to the United States after that. He was offered a chance to represent the University of Virginia with a scholarship program but he rejected the chance to become a fully professional.

He played for a short term with Cavaliers and later was offered a chance to join MLS outfit FC Dallas. But he rejected the offer and later got a trial at Schalke. He grabbed the opportunity and was able to sign for the side in 2016.

Just a year later he managed to find a place in senior football and in the last three years he has now amassed around 91 matches for the Schalke, including at least 30 in each of the last two seasons. Despite Schalke not being able to produce favourable results on the pitch in recent years, Mckennie has always been one of the few bright spots.

Player profile

Mckennie's football has been compared to a certain Arturo Vidal who has been one of the most exciting midfielders in the game over the last decade. The youngster is an all-action midfielder. This season he has showcased his versatility by playing as an attacking midfielder and a holding midfielder as well as a centre back at times.

In a total 28 appearances in the league, he has scored three goals. He has won 1.4 tackles per game while intercepting 1.6 times per match at the same time. On the offensive side, he has managed 1.1 shots per game while producing 0.6 key passes per 90 min.

Transfer fee

Schalke are currently embroiled in financial difficulty and openly admitted the fact that due to the Coronavirus and the stoppage of play they have suffered great losses. Hence, with the Bundesliga team going through financial issues and placing a salary restriction on players, several key members are expected to leave the club. McKennie as of now has become Schalke's most valuable asset in the transfer market. Schalke need to raise cash quickly and he could be available in the region of €25 million.

Other interested clubs

McKennie is most likely to move in Summer and his first preference is to find a side who are competing in European competitions. Liverpool's profile matches with the criteria but the 21-year-old also wants to be assured that he will be provided with the much-needed game-time along with it.

Hence, the interest from other lower-tier sides like Everton, Newcastle, Wolverhampton have also come into the equation. Bundesliga team Hertha Berlin also rumoured to have shown interest in him.