Liverpool are plotting a January transfer swoop for Salzburg’s Takumi Minamino.
Minamino impressed during the Red Bull-owned club’s two Champions League group encounters against the Reds and scored during October’s Anfield meeting.
The Japan international will be available next month for a cut-price fee of £7.25 million due to a clause in his current contract with the Austrian Bundesliga outfit.
“I can confirm that there are currently talks with Liverpool,” said Salzburg’s sporting director Christoph Freund.
“It is an honour that clubs are interested in our players.”
According to the Times, Jurgen Klopp has been impressed by Minamino and is keen to sign the versatile attacker, who can play up front and in midfield.
Minamino, a former teammate of Naby Keita, is also understood to have caught the eye of several Liverpool first-team players during their Group E campaign.
However Klopp’s admiration of the 24-year-old predates the Champions League clashes and Anfield chiefs have valued the player’s worth in the region of £20m.
Should Liverpool be able to convince Salzburg to part with Minamino, he would become the first senior player to join the club’s ranks in over 18 months.
New rules on player eligibility in Europe’s premier club competition would allow him to compete in the latter stages for Liverpool without being cup-tied.