- Liverpool in pursuit of Egyptian defender Ahmed Hegazi
- Al Ahly centre-back currently on loan at West Brom
- The Baggies could have option to buy Hegazi for €5m
- SEE MORE: Liverpool want Sevilla defender with £28m release-clause; plays in Lovren’s position
Liverpool are seemingly extending their defensive targets beyond Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk ahead of the January and summer transfer windows.
A regular exposure of the Reds’ familiar defensive frailties this season has seen Jurgen Klopp and the club as a whole come under pressure for failing to adequately strengthen the team’s back four.
Left-back Andrew Robertson was the only defensive recruit during the summer, with Klopp keeping his faith in the still unconvincing Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan.
Keen not to make the same mistake again, Liverpool look set to reignite their pursuit of Van Dijk during the mid-season window.
Nevertheless, the club is also weighing up a move for Egyptian centre-back Ahmed Hegazi, according to ESPN FC.
Hegazi is currently on loan at West Brom having agreed a temporary switch to England from Egyptian club Al Ahly in the summer.
The 26-year-old is also a target for Leicester City, although his current arrangement could give West Brom the chance to sign him permanently for €5million when his loan ends.
At 6 foot 4 inches, Hegazi has managed to assert himself as a towering asset despite the Baggies’ lacklustre start to the Premier League season.
Though Liverpool remain focused on resurrecting a move for Van Dijk, the search for alternatives marks crucial implications from the failure to sign the Dutchman ahead of the new campaign.
Contact with Hegazi’s parent club has already reportedly been made, thereby recognising the intentions to secure business early.