Everton signed Michael Keane from Burnley last summer and Merseyside rivals Liverpool reportedly want another Clarets player this time round.
For the second summer in a row, a Burnley centre-back is seemingly in high demand.
Last summer, the Clarets lost Michael Keane to Everton in a £30 million deal. And, according to the Independent, James Torkoswki has been lined up to follow the man he replaced in Sean Dyche’s back four to Merseyside.
It is understood that Jurgen Klopp wants more depth in his Liverpool defence and has identified Burnley’s surprise star as a potential addition.
It should not be underestimated just how impressive Tarkoswki was in 2017/18. He had barely played a minute of top flight football before last season but shone when thrown in at the deep end, even making his England debut en route to Burnley’s remarkable seventh-placed finish.
But perhaps Liverpool should be a little wary. After all, Keane struggled to make the supposed step up at Everton last summer, particularly under Ronald Koeman and David Unsworth when he was expected to defend higher up the pitch and build attacks from the back.
This is pretty much the opposite of what Keane was asked to do under Dyche, an old-school manager whose success is built upon defending deep and keeping clean sheets.
So Tarkowski, while a more technically gifted and modern centre-half, could find the adaptation easier, it would still be a major challenge swapping Dyche’s pragmatic tactics for the free-wheeling approach embodied by Klopp at Anfield.
A move would require a massive change in playing style, putting less emphasis on the heroic blocks and headed clearances that Tarkowski made his forte in 2017/18.
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