Reds to move for young defender
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is considering a £4million bid for Leicester’s England under-20 international Ben Chilwell.
Klopp wants to move swiftly for the highly-rated left-back, who is yet to make a Premier League appearance, as he plans for the future at Anfield.
Chilwell is on loan at Huddersfield Town and has only made one appearance for Leicester but is already regarded as a future England international, with Arsenal having a £3.5million offer rejected in the summer.
Klopp and Liverpool’s recruitment team were intending to move for the 19-year-old in the summer but are now ready to step up their interest in January after identifying full-backs as a priority.
Huddersfield manager David Wagner is a close friend of Klopp and has given glowing reports on Chilwell’s progress, while Liverpool chief scout Barry Hunter has watched the defender frequently this season.
Leicester are aware of growing interest in the teenager, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur also thought to be keen, and are expected to make it clear that Chilwell is not for sale. He is likely to return from his loan spell in January after an injury to Jeffrey Schlupp.
But despite Liverpool’s fears that a deal will be difficult to complete they are still preparing to make an offer due to a severe shortage at left-back, with Alberto Moreno the only senior player.
Joe Gomez, the £3.5million summer signing from Charlton, has been ruled out for the season after rupturing a cruciate knee ligament and Klopp’s only back-up for Moreno is Brad Smith as Jose Enrique is out of favour.
Chilwell is now emerging as a priority and Klopp has been told that he would be ready for the first-team if a deal was struck.
The captain of the England under-20s, Chilwell was also called up by Gareth Southgate to the under-21s squad for the game against Switzerland in November.
Earlier this month, Klopp had admitted: “We try to be prepared all the time but this window in January isn't the easiest one. There are big prices on the market.
“I'm not the biggest friend of the January window but if we have to react, I will react. Maybe if a player leaves us, I don't know. It's not a situation I want, though.
“We have a lot of games during the transfer window. We aren't planning on getting more players and more players and more players. But if we have to react we will.”
Source: Telegraph
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