Juventus defender Daniele Rugani appears to be closing in on a move to Chelsea, so should Liverpool be standing by?
It looks as though the 23-year-old has his heart set on a reunion with Maurizio Sarri, whom he worked with at Empoli on loan after his move to the Old Lady in 2013.
The Blues had previously lodged a bid of around £35 million but that was swiftly rejected by the Serie A champions but now, according to the London Evening Standard, a bid of £44.2 million is expected to be accepted.
It would be an impressive coup for the Blues, who know that David Luiz and Gary Cahill are no longer the players they once were, but perhaps Liverpool should be keeping a close eye on this deal.
The Reds currently have one outstanding centre-half in Virgil van Dijk, signed from Southampton back in January for a world record fee for a defender, but then there is a gulf in class.
Dejan Lovren has been full of praise for himself following good performances in the Champions League and the World Cup for Croatia, but the 29-year-old produced a mistake-ridden campaign last term and is arguably still a weak link despite an upturn in form recently.
Joel Matip has just been sent home from the club’s pre-season tour of the US with a thigh injury, the same one he had trouble with throughout last season. He has also been suspect since signing on a free transfer from Schalke two years ago, and it could be dangerous for Klopp to count on him alongside van Dijk.
Liverpool should therefore consider swooping for Rugani. He may be close to a move to Stamford Bridge, but this transfer window has proved that deals are never done until they are done, as proved by Malcom, Fekir and Jorginho.
Klopp is a huge advocate for developing younger players and the versatile, commanding Italian has good intelligence and spacial awareness and could work excellently alongside Dutchman van Dijk.
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