Brighton & Hove Albion are reportedly keen on making Liverpool midfielder Kevin Stewart one of their first signings of the summer.
Having secured promotion to the Premier League, Brighton will now look to make key additions to ensure that they have a squad capable of keeping them in the English top tier beyond just next season.
According to The Telegraph, manager Chris Hughton has identified Stewart as a top target, although the 23-year-old will command a transfer fee believed to be around £10m.
Stewart has made just nine first-team appearances this season, and although he has been used at times throughout Jurgen Klopp’s tenure thus far, it’s questionable as to whether or not he has a long-term future at Anfield.
While the report goes on to suggest the German tactician isn’t in a rush to sell him, nor is the player looking for a new challenge elsewhere, it remains to be seen whether or not his lack of playing time, and the opportunity to be a regular at Brighton, could be too much to turn down.
With Liverpool gunning for a top-four finish in the Premier League this season, Klopp will need a big squad to compete on various fronts next year, but he’ll also know that he needs there to be quality and reliable individuals across the entire group rather than just bit-part players making up the numbers.
As noted in the report, Liverpool received £15m for Jordon Ibe when they sold him to Bournemouth last summer, and so surely if a similar bid was to come in for Stewart, Klopp would have to accept and add that fee to the transfer kitty in a few months time.
Some Reds fans may have a different opinion on it and value Stewart highly, but time will tell if the club are ready to cash in and look elsewhere.