Liverpool made summer offer for Inter Milan's Stankovic to fill defensive midfield void

Liverpool made a concrete offer for Inter Milan midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic during the summer window, according to a report from Tuttomercatoweb, as the club sought to address a recognised lack of defensive presence in the engine room under new manager Andoni Iraola.

Stankovic, son of Inter legend Dejan, had impressed on loan at Club Brugge last season and was reportedly discussed as part of the deal that sent Curtis Jones to the San Siro. The 21-year-old ultimately opted to remain at Inter, and the move never materialised.

The report surfaces amid growing scrutiny of Liverpool’s midfield balance. Iraola fielded Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai as a double pivot in a 1-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth, a combination that has drawn criticism from club legend Jamie Carragher, who has questioned the set-up’s defensive solidity.

Liverpool’s most senior defensive-minded central midfielders are currently Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, with teenage prospect Trey Nyoni having shown promise in limited appearances. Iraola is said to be keen to give Nyoni regular opportunities this season, but the squad depth behind him remains thin.

Despite a busy summer that brought in Bradley Barcola, Victor Munoz, Jeremy Jacquet, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong, Liverpool fell short on several targets. Yankuba Minteh, identified as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah, was high on the club’s wish list but a deal proved difficult after the Gambian winger missed the start of the season through injury.

Stankovic has featured only on the periphery of Inter’s squad so far this season, and with Transfermarkt valuing him at €32 million, a January move for more regular playing time remains a possibility. Whether Liverpool revisit their interest in the winter window will likely depend on how Iraola’s midfield concerns develop over the coming months.

Iraola himself has made an unbeaten start at Anfield and has not lost in the Premier League since January, but the squad’s structural imbalances — in midfield and at full-back, where both Kerkez and Frimpong have struggled early on — represent the clearest tests of the club’s recruitment strategy heading into the second half of the season.