Manchester City to battle Real Madrid for surprise Liverpool raid

Soccer Football – Premier League – Brentford v Liverpool – GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain – October 25, 2025 Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai reacts after the match Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE FOR FURTHER DETAILS..

Manchester City are plotting a surprise raid on Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian has been one of Liverpool’s standout performers this season, with six goal contributions in 15 matches all competitions.

His current deal expires in 2028, and Liverpool are keen to tie him down to a long term extension to avoid entering the summer with just two years remaining on his deal. Spanish publication Dario AS reports that both Man City and Real Madrid are closely monitoring the situation ahead of a surprise swoop for the player.

Liverpool are reportedly concerned about the player’s contract situation, considering his €135,000-a-week wage will likely need to be substantially increased. Madrid currently pay Jude Bellingham around €400,000 per week while Man City pay Bernardo Silva €300,000 per week.

Both clubs will know it will take an offer similar to those to prize the player away from Anfield, while Liverpool will know it will take a similar offer to keep him.

Szoboszlai joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2023 and has made 80 Premier League appearances for the club. He was a mainstay in the side that won the league title last season, scoring six goals and providing six assists in 36 appearances.

Many expected the £116m arrival of Florian Wirtz this summer to push Szoboszlai down the pecking order, but it has been the Hungarian who has been the standout performer between the pair. Szoboszlai in fact has been the one standout in what has been a stop start campaign for the defending champions.

The Reds were beaten by Man City on Sunday in what is now their fifth league defeat of the season. They sit in 8th place in the table, eight points off of first place Arsenal. City already invested heavily in midfield reinforcements this summer, adding Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.

Question marks remain over the long term futures of Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic however, with the former continuing to be linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League.

Nadji is a football writer with over 10 years of experience covering the Premier League. His work has been featured on Football Fancast, Arsenal-Mania, and Arsenal.com, where he has built a reputation for delivering sharp analysis, engaging storytelling, and in-depth coverage of the game.