Mahmoud Dahoud, Borussia Monchengladbach (Picture by: John Walton / EMPICS Sport)

Mahmoud Dahoud Liverpool’s “first choice” midfield target – Report

Liverpool are pushing for a deal to Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud, while lining up Piotr Zielinski as an alternative, according to a reliable report on Monday.

A move to sign Zielinski was said to be in the offing last week, with reports from Poland suggesting a deal would be announced ahead of the Europa League final on Wednesday.

But five days on, there has been little in terms of movement in Jurgen Klopp‘s bid to add to his midfield ranks.

According to the Express‘ Paul Joyce, a move for Udinese midfielder Zielinski is Klopp’s second-choice option, behind Gladbach’s box-to-box talent Dahoud.

Dahoud was first linked with a move to Anfield back in April, with the Reds believed to have joined Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund in the race to sign the 20-year-old.

Reportedly valued at around £20 million, Dahoud would be a major signing for the Reds this summer, and with Klopp clearly looking to bolster his midfield, this would be a statement of intent.

The Reds manager is said to be “hoping to plunder his Germany connections” to persuade Dahoud to make the move from Borussia-Park, though whether Gladbach would agree to a deal remains to be seen.

08.02.2012, Olympiastadion Berlin, GER, DFB Pokal, Hertha BSC and Borussia Moenchengladbach, im Bild Havard NORDTVEIT (Borussia Moenchengladbach/mitte) versucht die Abwehr von Hertha zu umspielen. Rechts Ronny (Hertha BSC) versucht zu klaeren // during the German DFB Pokal Match between Hertha BSC and Borussia Moenchengladbach at the Olympic Stadium Berlin, Germany 2012/02/08. EXPA Pictures © 2012, PhotoCredit: EXPA/ Eibner/ Johannes Koziol..***** ATTENTION - OUT OF GER *****

The Bundesliga side, who secured Champions League football with a fourth-placed finish in 2015/16, have already seen midfielder Havard Nordtveit leave for West Ham United on a free transfer.

And with Granit Xhaka poised to join Arsenal in a big-money move in the coming days, Dahoud’s departure would prompt a midfield revamp at Gladbach.

This seems unlikely, given their sporting director Max Eberl’s claim that they “have no need to sell [Dahoud].” So a move for Zielinski seems to be more feasible at this stage.

Zielinski would certainly welcome a move to Merseyside, having spoken about the Reds’ interest on a number of occasions this year.

“It would be great to play alongside Coutinho,” he said in March.

“I am sure we could be a good duo on the pitch. We’ll see what will happen.”

The 22-year-old could be forced to wait a little longer, with Klopp’s focus currently on his Syrian-born counterpart, but either midfielder would be a great addition to the Liverpool squad.

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