Liverpool have identified Ozan Kabak as Dejan Lovren’s direct replacement.
Lovren sealed a £10.9 million move to Zenit St Petersburg on Monday following six years in the Premier League champions’ defensive ranks.
Jurgen Klopp is prepared to call on current Reds youngsters Ki-Jana Hoever and Sepp van den Berg to step into the void left by the Croatia international.
But reports in Germany claim that Kabak could be also be moving to Anfield.
The 20-year-old spent the 2019/20 season with Schalke, managed by Klopp’s long-term friend David Wagner, and played 28 times in all competitions.
According to Bild, Liverpool are among a host of clubs tracking Kabak with the Bundesliga outfit under financial pressure to offload players this summer.
It is understood that Schalke will hold out for offers in the region of £30m for the Turkey international but are likely to drop that valuation slightly.