PROGRESS made in deal for £16m midfielder

Liverpool won the 2024/25 Premier League title with limited options in midfield. Ryan Gravenberch took over No6 duties after the club failed to land Martin Zubimendi while Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister usually occupied the other two midfield roles.

Curtis Jones played his part in providing adequate cover for all three midfield positions while Wataru Endo was only really utilised as a “closer” in the final stages of league matches.

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One player who last summer was tipped for an increased role was Tyler Morton.

The midfielder was coming off the back of a very productive season on loan at Hull City - with it reckoned it might be a breakthrough campaign for the England under-21 star under Arne Slot.

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Tyler Morton in final 12 months of Liverpool contract

It wasn’t to be however with the 22-year-old only appearing FIVE times in total for the seniors and the rest of his football coming at Premier League 2 level.

He also spent a long time out of the picture towards the end of the season with a shoulder injury. Morton is now in the final 12 months of his contract - with the club having declined the opportunity to cash in last summer.

Bayer Leverkusen were among the Bundesliga teams interested in the homegrown midfielder, but no one ended up meeting Liverpool’s reported £20m asking price.

The situation has changed somewhat with Morton not really figuring in Slot’s plans and his contract ticking down. A sale would suit the club this summer - and West Ham now appear to be the most likely destination.

Progress made in Tyler Morton's West Ham deal

That’s according to a new report in TEAMtalk - which claims manager Graham Potter is a big fan of the midfield schemer.

“Morton, who is entering the final year of his contract with Liverpool, could be available for a modest £16million, making him an attractive target for the Hammers as they look to bolster their squad for a much better season than last.”

This isn’t the first occasion West Ham have been linked with Morton this summer- but negotiations now appear to have ramped up.

“Discussions have progressed, with West Ham eager to finalise the deal in the coming weeks,” the report states.

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That could be a very useful £16m for Liverpool - who barely used Morton last season. There is also the option of selling Harvey Elliott to West Ham - and that deal would boost the coffers by around £50m. We await news on both deals.

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