Liverpool nearly have their man men
They’ve left it late in the window – very, very late in the window, actually – but Liverpool are expected to complete a deadline day double signing of Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies to bolster their depleted defensive ranks.
Kabak, a 20-year-old Turkish international, is expected to arrive from struggling Bundesliga side Schalke on a loan worth £1m. The deal contains an option to buy for a fee of around £18m next summer, writes Melissa Reddy in The Independent, and looks likely to go through after Schalke brought in Shkodran Mustafi following the termination of this Arsenal contract.
As well as this, the transfer of Preston North End centre-half Ben Davies, one of the most highly rated defenders in the Championship, is nearing completion for an initial fee of £500,000. The fee could rise to £1.6m if various clauses are met withPreston set to net 20% of any future sell-on fee.
Despite long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, the Premier League champions appeared set to hold off moving for defensive reinforcements during the January window. But after more injuries – to Joel Matip and stand-in centre-half Fabinho – Liverpool have taken action.
Interestingly, the same report notes that Jurgen Klopp had explored a possible move for Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car and that Liverpool were prepared to offer a fee of around £20m to get him. Concerned at the limited time they had to find an adequate replacement, Marseille instantly rejected the proposal, forcing Klopp to look elsewhere.
