Reports claim Liverpool fear Tottenham and Chelsea will hijack their summer moves for two key defensive reinforcements in Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Sessegnon.
Jurgen Klopp will be looking to bolster his defence this summer as it has been one of the side’s vulnerabilities having conceded 42 goals in 37 league games, with only Arsenal conceding more out of the top seven sides in the Premier League.
A central defender will be a must, while a left-back to replace James Milner and allow him to play in a more natural position are high on the list and as noted by The Express, Van Dijk and Sessegnon were the men touted to fill the gaps.
However, Tottenham are also keen on Sessegnon with the 17-year-old having a £12m price-tag placed on him by Fulham, and it’s suggested in the report that Liverpool could miss out to Mauricio Pochettino as the youngster would prefer to remain in London.
Meanwhile, the Express don’t paint a better picture for Liverpool in their pursuit of Van Dijk either as they claim that Chelsea are favourites to land the Dutchman as their deep pockets will see them table a bid of around £45m to convince him to move to Stamford Bridge ahead of next season.
Fresh from winning the Premier League title in his first season in charge, Antonio Conte will hope to bolster his group this summer to defend their crown and make a real impression on their return to the Champions League.
They could of course secure a domestic double with the FA Cup final to come, and so moving to Chelsea is undoubtedly a massive draw right now.
That in turn makes life difficult for Liverpool and Klopp, as they will hope that they can convince their top targets to move to Anfield, as they will also have the benefit of being able to offer Champions League football and an ever-improving squad and project under the German tactician.