Fabrizio Romano revealed that Liverpool are fighting for Bayern Munich star David Alaba’s signature alongside five other clubs, with Real Madrid currently at the head of the pack.
The Austria international’s contract runs out in the summer, leaving the Reds with the opportunity to arrange a pre-contract agreement.
“You mentioned some names. For sure, Kabak has been scouted also Botman. About Botman, we heard a lot of talks about possible medicals and something but it’s absolutely not true at the moment,” the renowned Italian journalist told Give Me Sport. “They (Liverpool) are among the five clubs trying for David Alaba but Real Madrid are leading the race so it’s difficult in this moment, but Liverpool is trying and this is (what they mean) when they say ‘we want to do something interesting’ – good opportunities because, in this market, it is so difficult to do as Chelsea did last summer, it is easier to go for good opportunities.”
That Jurgen Klopp would be interested in a player like the 28-year-old is no surprise given the sheer calibre of the man in question.
Even if the Reds still had the services of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to call upon this season, we could hardly overlook the opportunity to bring the versatile defender to Anfield – much in the same way we viewed the transfer of Thiago Alcantara.
READ MORE: Hilarious moment Louie Barry realises he must settle for Fabinho’s shirt
Beyond the obvious problem of Madrid leading the race for Alaba’s signature, should we be successful in our pursuit of the Bundesliga star, a potential deal would only bring him to Merseyside at the end of the season.
With our usual starters out for the count, likely for much of the season, a quality defender isn’t something that Klopp can really wait for.
Nonetheless, with there being a long way to go before the transfer window closes, there’s always the possibility that we could find appropriate cover; in the meantime, getting a player like Alaba onboard for free would be another massive coup for the club.