Speaking on a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Liverpool are ‘considering’ Schalke defender Ozan Kabak as a potential replacement for the injured Virgil van Dijk.
Since moving to Schalke from VfB Stuttgart in what was a £13.5 million deal last summer, Kabak has gone on to feature 30 times for the Bundesliga side, chipping in with three goals and providing one assist along the way.
Last season, the £26.1 million-rated 20-year-old impressed for Die Konigsblauen, averaging 1.4 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 3.6 clearances, as well as averaging 39.8 passes per game over his 26 league appearances, culminating in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.85 – ranking him as the club’s seventh-best performer in the Bundesliga.
And it would appear that his performances have caught the eye of Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp, as when speaking on a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast, Romano revealed that the club are considering the Turkey international as a replacement for the injured Van Dijk.
He said: “He would prefer to join [a] Premier League [club] over Italian clubs. AC Milan are interested in Kabak, they were trying to sign him on the deadline day from Schalke, but they didn’t find an agreement with Schalke about the value of the player.
“Now, Liverpool are considering him as one of the options [as a] replacement [for] Van Dijk, and the player would love to join Liverpool. So, what we can say is that, yes, Kabak would accept to join Liverpool, but at the moment, there are no advanced negotiations.
“We have to wait to see what will happen in January because at the moment, Liverpool have not decided yet who is the perfect replacement for Van Dijk.”
Do you think Kabak would be a suitable replacement for Van Dijk?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Fabrizio Romano’s comments regarding Liverpool’s interest in Ozan Kabak…
From Romano’s comments, it is clear that the journalist is of the belief that Liverpool are indeed considering Kabak as a potential replacement for Van Dijk, and that the player would be extremely keen on a move to Merseyside, however, that Klopp and the club have not yet decided as to who they think would be the most suitable player to bring in during the January transfer window.
Having said that, their potential move for Kabak is certainly a deal that we will be keeping a very close eye on as the January window draws closer.