Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will undoubtedly be assessing his options in the January transfer market, but he’ll have to wait until the summer for one big bit of possible business.
The German tactician has been linked with a swoop for Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, who is currently on a season-long loan at Torino after being snubbed by Pep Guardiola at the start of the season.
According to The Times, the England international will be available for £15m this summer, with Liverpool still paired with making a move for him.
It’s added that Chelsea are also likely to monitor the situation, but with on-going issues with Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet, perhaps a shot-stopper will be a priority for Klopp at the end of the season as he looks for someone with experience and mental toughness to cope with the rigours of the Premier League.
Whether or not Hart is the man to fill that spot remains to be seen, but given he has just 18 months remaining on his current contract, he’ll be in a rush to discover where his future lies as it looks unlikely he’ll be given a chance to stake a claim at City on his return from Torino.
Elsewhere, in somewhat of a U-turn after previously insisting that his client wasn’t happy, agent Wagner Ribeiro has insisted that Gabriel Barbosa has no intention of leaving Inter.
The Brazilian ace has struggled to adapt and force his way into the starting line-up for the Nerazzurri since his arrival from Santos last summer, with the 20-year-old restricted to just three appearances in Serie A with a total of 20 minutes played.
Despite his frustrating start to life in Italy, he won’t be leaving any time soon, with Liverpool and Roma said to be interested in swooping for him in January, as per AS.
“He has a contract until 2021,” Ribeiro told AS. “The club has never spoken of selling. He really has great potential. We expect that everything goes better for him at Inter in 2017.”
With Sadio Mane away at the Africa Cup of Nations and as Philippe Coutinho continues his comeback from injury, Liverpool are a little light in the wide areas and so with no move for Barbosa likely, Klopp could look elsewhere this month to add quality cover.