‘A dream’: Coach admits reported £20m Klopp target is Liverpool fan

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Red Bull Salzburg striker Patson Daka is a Liverpool fan at heart, his old mentor Lee Kawanu has told First Time Finish amid speculation linking the Red Bull Salzburg star with a move to Anfield.

Thanks largely to Robbie Keane’s consistent declarations of childhood adulation, it’s easy to be a bit cynical when a new signing claims playing for your club is something he “dreamed” off when he was knee-high to a grasshopper.

But, in the case of Daka, it seems pulling on the iconic red shirt of Liverpool really is a lifelong ambition.

And, after showing off his ruthless finishing skills with two goals against the Premier League champions in a pre-season friendly last month, that “dream” could soon become a reality.

Far Post claims the £20 million-rated Daka has played his way on to Liverpool’s radar while Arsenal are also keen on a lethal centre-forward labelled ‘the next Thierry Henry’.

“I talked to him after the (Liverpool) game and told him I wanted a hat-trick,” says Kawanu, who handed Daka his senior debut at the age of just 15 with Kafue Celtic.

“He told me it was like a ‘dream’ for him. That’s the team his dad supported and he supports deep inside and you score two, not just normal goals, but really good goals against the best defender in the world in Virgil van Dijk… it’s a really nice story.”

Football London suggested last week Daka would turn down offers from England to stay in Austria and continue his development at a Salzburg side that recently sold Erling Haaland, Hwang Hee-Chan and Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino for a massive profit.

But if Klopp comes calling, don’t be surprised if Daka changes his mind.

The 20-year-old scored 27 times as Salzburg stormed to another league title last season.