Liverpool named 'leading contender' in Alex Scott race - 'I think it'll happen'
Liverpool will be a leading contender in the race to sign Alex Scott from Bournemouth within the next year.
That is according to experienced former Everton, Tottenham and Aston Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The Reds are among several Premier League giants looking closely at the 23-year-old, who has just two years remaining on his contract.
Chelsea had a £64million bid rejected for the midfielder in the summer transfer window, but Bournemouth will acknowledge next year that a sale will be inevitable if he does not sign a new contract.
Scott is currently injured but impressed on his first appearances for the senior England team, and enjoyed a superb Premier League campaign last season.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola was in charge at Bournemouth when the Guernsey-born talent arrived from Bristol City in 2023, and oversaw his development.
'Liverpool will come knocking' for Alex Scott
The Liverpool squad appears in desperate need of a player of Scott's profile, with depth in midfield lacking.
Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister suffer from a severe lack of alternatives, with 19-year-old Trey Nyoni often seen as the first replacement.
"I could see Liverpool certainly being up there as a leading contender because he would feel he's worked with that manager," King told Football Insider.
"That's why he [Iraola] left, because Bournemouth are a great little club, but when a club the size of Liverpool comes knocking on your door, I think it will happen.
"I think it'll happen next summer. They might even come in with an offer during the January window, and if he hasn't signed a new extension, then they'll be trying to get as much as they can.
"I wouldn't have gone to Chelsea anyway, but again, money talks, as you saw with Villa and [Morgan] Rogers. There was a lot of talk about him going, but nobody ever thought he would.
"If the money's right, you know, £117m, you're not going to turn it down because you might get injured next week."
What did Scott say about Andoni Iraola?
Scott arrived at Bournemouth around a month after Iraola, with only injury preventing him from appearing more in their first two seasons together.
Last season saw the midfielder shake off those issues and thrive under the Spaniard, appearing in every Premier League game but the final one.
"He has done a lot for me personally. I have improved loads this season, out of possession and in possession," Scott said earlier this year when asked about Iraola.
"I feel like I have had his trust. Defensively, maybe in my first two seasons, I wasn’t at the level to be playing in the Premier League, and that is something I had to learn.
"But he put his trust in me from the first game of the season and I played 34 full matches, injury free too. The manager has been amazing for me, working with me going forward, defensively, being more aggressive, and that is the reason I played most games this season."