Liverpool went crazy on £560k-per-week deals. Now they look set to drop another £80m and we're struggling to make sense of it.
Liverpool sparked a little bit of controversy this year with two deals that tallied around £560k per week. That was with their midfielder moves - renewing Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai to long-term contracts.
It was controversial if only because we're not sure the pair can play together in midfield. It also cast a spotlight on Alexis Mac Allister, who very much did not receive such a contract offer and went public on that fact.
The message here is that Liverpool view Gravenberch and Szoboszlai as the future of their midfield. That's really the only way to read contracts that approach £300k per week. At the same time, though, the Reds look set to purchase a new midfielder.
So what's going on?
The big Alex Scott plan
Sky Sports are one of several outlets claiming that Liverpool want Alex Scott. Bournemouth are open to a deal, too, as he's about to enter the final 18 months of his contract there.
But the Cherries want £80m. That's an awful lot of money for a midfielder that, given the massive contracts already handed out, Liverpool shouldn't really need.
However, they do need him. Or at least, Liverpool need a new midfielder who can bring a bit of control in the middle. It's why we've been big on the idea of signing Lamine Camara or Sergi Altimira.
Scott, though, does feel like he's cut from the same cloth as Gravenberch and Szoboszlai. Midfielders who can defend but would much rather push on towards goal and influence the attack.
And therein lies the problem. Scott is brilliant and homegrown and undoubtedly a player who could thrive at Liverpool. He just also feels like more of the same - a player who doesn't necessarily move the team on as much as he doubles down on a squad build that isn't really working.
So we're not entirely convinced about the plan here. Great player? Absolutely. The right one? Not so sure.