Emerging as a target for Jurgen Klopp this summer, Mainz goalkeeper Loris Karius is said to have agreed a deal with Liverpool.
Karius was rumoured to have jumped up Klopp’s list of priorities last week, with Goal.com’s Melissa Reddy revealing that the 22-year-old was a “premier target” ahead of the transfer window.
Now as the Reds look to add to their squad with the signing of Piotr Zielinski this week, Karius is believed to have agreed terms for a summer move.
According to reliable German outlet Kicker, Karius will now “almost certainly” leave Mainz this summer, and will arrive on Merseyside as Klopp’s new No. 1.
This would see Karius take over from current first-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has endured a hit-and-miss campaign in 2015/16.
Karius signed a new contract with Mainz in January of last year, but agreed a release clause of around £8 million with his current employer.
This would allow Liverpool to trigger his transfer without requiring negotiation with Klopp’s former club.
Along with potential signing Zielinski, Karius could join fellow new recruits Marko Grujic and Joel Matip, with Bayern Munich attacker Mario Gotze and Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell also heavily linked with moves to Merseyside.
Klopp is seemingly wasting no time in altering his squad ahead of his first full season in charge at Anfield, with Jordan Rossiter and Jose Enrique both already having left the club.
Youngsters Daniel Cleary and Alex O’Hanlon have also departed, with Daniel Trickett-Smith, Jerome Sinclair and Joao Carlos Teixeira soon to follow.
Martin Skrtel is likely among those to have played his last game for the club, waving an emotional farewell to the travelling Kop following Sunday’s 1-1 draw with West Brom.
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