Liverpool may have to see off interest from Olympique de Marseille to sign Fiorentina midfielder Mario Suarez.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport [via the Mirror], the Reds are keen on signing the Spanish player, who has struggled to establish himself in Tuscany since moving from Atletico Madrid during the summer.
While Fiore are thriving—and spent the winter break in second spot in Serie A, only a point behind Inter Milan—Suarez has largely failed to establish himself in Paulo Sousa’s first-team plans.
He has managed just eight outings, of which four have been as part of the starting lineup, and the 28-year-old has been heavily tipped with a January move away from the club.
However, while Jurgen Klopp may be keen on bringing in the midfielder—who could offer presence, character and authority in the middle of the park—the Anfield giants face competition from Marseille.
According to L’Equipe, OM are keen to recruit Suarez on loan as part of a deal taking Argentine forward Lucas Ocampos to Italy.
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However, one sticking point for the Stade Velodrome heavyweights may be that they already have five loanees registered—which is the current maximum quota.
L’Equipe believe that OM would offload one of their current loanees in order to trump Liverpool to the signing of Suarez, with Lucas Silva and Paolo De Ceglie linked with a return to their parent clubs.