Jorg Schmadtke appears to still be tapping into his reservoir of Bundesliga knowledge, with Gladbach’s Manu Kone remaining in his sights.
The midfielder was sadly injured during the European U21 Championship and faces a six-week-long layoff period.
“Jorg Schmadtke made clear that it won’t happen between Liverpool and Micky van de Ven,” the German reporter exclusively informed CaughtOffside in his latest Fact Files column.
“At Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp is saying what he wants in the market and Schmadkte is making plans from this.
“We’ve been previously talking about Manu Kone, for example. He had a knee injury at the European U21 Championship, so it will take time, as he can’t pass any medical tests at the moment. So this could be a topic that will be interesting for English clubs like Liverpool.
“Schmadtke has an eye on him. So these are things in the background that Schmadtke is doing at the moment.”
Liverpool may certainly be forced to consider the 22-year-old down the line in light of Saudi interest in experienced duo Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
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Jurgen Klopp has already reportedly given his seal of approval for the Reds captain to make the switch to the Saudi Pro League, provided that a a suitable fee can be agreed upon between the club and Al-Ettifaq.
It would represent a huge blow for the Merseysiders, who would then be forced to field a potentially brand-new midfield trio on the first day of the league season.
It remains to be seen whether both talents do walk out of the AXA training centre for the final time this summer.
If so, the club’s plans will have to undergo a serious rethink and transformation to accommodate the loss of seniority in the squad, with talents like Manu Kone (22) and Romeo Lavia (19) sure to fall down the shortlist.