Liverpool are believed to have made a move to sign Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer, competing with five other clubs around Europe.
Kolasinac is in the final months of his current deal with the Bundesliga side, and is set to be on the most in-demand free agents of the summer.
The 23-year-old already has considerable top-flight experience, having turned out for the Schalke first team for five seasons, and would bolster the Reds’ ranks significantly.
And according to German publication Bild, Jurgen Klopp has already made his move for the Bosnian.
Liverpool are named among six clubs to have offered Kolasinac a contract, which would see him make the move from the Veltins-Arena on the expiry of his current deal.
AC Milan, Juventus, Roma, Man City and Arsenal are the other clubs said to be chasing the left-back’s signature, serving as major competition for the Reds.
Whether these reports are to believed remains to be seen, but Kolasinac would arguably solve a key problem area in Klopp’s defensive line.
James Milner has filled in as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back throughout the season, and has largely impressed, but the 31-year-old is far from a long-term solution.
Meanwhile, Alberto Moreno looks set to leave the club this summer, with the Spaniard having made just two starts in the Premier League this term.
Speaking to This is Anfield earlier in March, Fox Soccer’s Bundesliga expert Keith Costigan hailed Kolasinac as the ideal signing for the Reds in the summer transfer window.
“He is available on a free this summer, he is 23 and he has everything you would want in a modern full-back,” Costigan said.
“For me Kolasinac is ready now and he would come into the Premier League and be one of the best left-backs in the country, that’s how highly I rate him.”
At 23, Kolasinac could take up a key role in Klopp’s defence for many years to come, and there is still major scope for him to develop under the German at Anfield.
Competing with the likes of Juventus and Man City could prove difficult for the Reds, however, particularly if they fail to secure Champions League football for the 2017/18 campaign.
But with Klopp able to offer Kolasinac regular first-team football, rather than a squad role, he could be tempted to swap Gelsenkirchen for Merseyside in what would be one of the bargain deals of the summer.
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