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Manchester City are ready to pay to complete the signing of Achraf Hakimi, with Pep Guardiola said to be a big fan of the Paris Saint-Germain star, according to a report from Football Insider.

What's the latest Man City transfer news?

Man City are planning to spend big on West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, having submitted a £90m offer for the England international, although that proposal was swiftly rejected by the Hammers.

Central midfield is not the only position that needs strengthening, however, with Kyle Walker's future in doubt. A new right-back may be required, with the likes of Nahuel Molina and Hakimi being linked with moves to the Etihad Stadium.

It is detailed that Guardiola wants to build a side capable of competing on all fronts next season, with the PSG defender being identified as a player who could help them do that, and there has now been an update on City's pursuit.

According to a report from Football Insider, the Sky Blues are now "ready to pay" to complete the signing of the 24-year-old, as they hold a strong interest in his services.

Guardiola is said to be a big fan of the Moroccan, who features highly on Man City's shortlist of potential defender signings, but he would command a big fee. The Citizens' interest in the right-back comes amid doubts over the futures of Walker and Joao Cancelo, with the latter of the two set to leave this summer.

How much does Achraf Hakimi earn?

The PSG full-back is currently tied down to a £240k-per-week deal with the French champions, which is not due to expire until 2026, meaning his current employers will be in a very strong negotiating position this summer.

However, Man City are seemingly willing to spend big on the Morocco international, and there is every indication he could be worth it, given the threat he poses on the front foot.

In the past year, the former Inter Milan star has averaged 0.17 non-penalty goals per 90, placing him in the 93rd percentile compared to his positional peers, with a pass-completion rate of 89% placing him in the 98th percentile.

Any player operating in a Guardiola system needs to be an assured passer of the ball, and the right-back fits the bill in that regard, while he has also been hailed as "sensational" by journalist David Amoyal.

Hakimi could be a perfect long-term replacement for Walker, and Man City should now look to test the waters with an opening offer – showing that Guardiola is not messing around in the market with midfielder Mateo Kovacic set to become the first signing of the summer.

A round-up from the latest Plunket Shield round as the tournament resumes

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2017Chad Bowes followed up a two-ball duck in the first innings with a match-winning 149 against Wellington to take Canterbury to the top of the table. The seven-wicket win, chasing 324 at Basin Reserve, arrived during the final session of the match. This after Matt Henry’s four wickets (match haul of 9 for 137) helped dismiss Wellington for 269 early on the last day. Bowes’ 149 (25 fours, one six) took Canterbury to 236 before he was out, following which unbeaten knocks from Henry Nicholls (71) and Cole McConchie (47) steered them home.Canterbury overcame a first-innings deficit of 54 runs in their win. After half centuries from Michael Papps (76) – who also scored his 11,000th first-class run – and Hamish Marshall (69) helped Wellington to 297 in the midst of a Henry five-for, they returned strongly to bowl out Canterbury for 243. A lone hand from Peter Fulton (79) displayed some resistance for Canterbury in the first innings even as Anurag Verma’s four wickets crippled the visitors. Wellington’s 269 – Stephen Murdoch top scored with 56 – set Canterbury the stiff target of 324 to chase on the final day, but Bowes, Nicholls and McConchie were up to the challenge.Colin Munro was told by New Zealand coach Mike Hesson to return to the Plunket Shield and regain confidence after a difficult start to the year. He responded in magnificent fashion for Auckland at Colin Maiden Park, with barnstorming twin centuries, the 11th and 12th of his career: a first innings 146 off 109 balls followed by 142 off 103 deliveries. The opening day had been abandoned due to a damp area on the pitch and although Central Districts, who are at the bottom of the points table, tried to manufacture a result by declaring behind on the third day, the match petered out to a draw.But it was a memorable few days for Munro, who had made seven single-figure scores in ten previous innings in 2017. Though there was a T20 century included against Bangladesh, his lack of consistency had been highlighted by Hesson following a first-ball duck in the T20 against South Africa. When play began on the second day, Munro scored an 84-ball hundred and added 210 for the fourth wicket with Rob Nicol (86) to take Auckland to 385 for 5 declared. Central Districts fell to 66 for 5 in reply, but Tom Bruce’s unbeaten 127 enabled them to pull out 129 behind. Munro then got going again, racing to a 60-ball century and took his match tally to 12 sixes. The declaration finally came with a lead of 389 but less than two sessions remained and a result was never on.Anaru Kitchen followed up his 143 not out in the Ford Trophy against Northern Districts three weeks ago with another unbeaten century against them to take Otago to a five-wicket win in the Plunket Shield. This was Otago’s first win in the Plunket Shield and lifted them out of bottom place.Kitchen’s unbeaten 120 came in a chase of 289 that was set up primarily by BJ Watling’s 96 and Joe Walker’s 87 at No. 9, after Northern Districts had been reduced to 0 for 3 and, subsequently, 61 for 5 in their second innings. The pair put on 91 for the eighth wicket, and Walker then added 64 for the ninth with James Baker to lift them to 286.Otago’s bowlers all chipped in with wickets, although Nathan Smith followed up his first-innings five-for with only one in the second.This after Scott Kuggeleijn’s 5 for 68 had inflicted a collapse that saw Otago fall from 242 for 4 to 276 all out and concede a lead of 2. Kitchen struck 76 in the first innings and put on 138 for the fifth wicket with Derek de Boorder (89). De Boorder fell cheaply in the chase, but his wicket was followed by partnerships of 86 and 85, and opener Brad Wilson’s 74 played the supporting act to Kitchen’s 120 off 146, as they completed the win in the 74th over.

International cricket will remain Kagiso Rabada’s first priority even after a lucrative IPL deal, his father Mpho Rabada told ESPNcricinfo

Firdose Moonda20-Feb-20173:33

Rabada, Cummins fill a vacuum in the bowling department – Daredevils CEO

International cricket will remain Kagiso Rabada’s number one priority even after he secured a massive IPL deal, which has made him an overnight millionaire. The 21-year-old fast bowler was picked up for INR 5 crore (USD 750,000 approx) by Delhi Daredevils, an amount of almost ten million Rand, which may change his life financially but will not impact his focus for South Africa, at least not if his father has anything to do with it.”I am happy for him and supportive of him reaching his goals. His future can’t be summed up by bagging an IPL contract but more by longevity in the game at the highest possible level,” Dr Mpho Rabada, Kagiso’s father, told ESPNcricinfo. “His successful inclusion is one of the key significant milestones in his career. I think it will encourage him to raise his game and more importantly apply the skills in the national team. The national team is the pride and dream of KG [Rabada], thus remaining very important.”Rabada has already proved he is willing to put the national team first, after he opted not to enter the IPL auction last year and chose a county stint with Kent instead. “He came and spoke to me and Gordon Parsons (Lions’ bowling coach) and we decided that the main thing he needed to focus on was improving his skills,” Geoffrey Toyana, Rabada’s coach at the Lions franchise said about the bowler’s county stint last year. “And he knew it would be good preparation for the England tour that’s coming up.”South Africa play four Tests against England in July, after the Champions Trophy, and Rabada saw last year as the ideal time to get experience in those conditions. He knew that aiming to play county cricket in England this year, immediately before the series, would probably not be possible because of a narrow time-frame. Despite interest from the IPL, Rabada decided he needed to put personal development first, certain the chance for an IPL deal would come in the near future. “He felt that he was not ready last year and we were supportive of the decision after deliberations but now it has finally happened,” Rabada’s father said.Rabada’s first IPL will follow immediately after South Africa’s current tour to New Zealand, which concludes with three Tests in March, and will be cut short by preparations for the Champions Trophy. CSA is understood to be calling its players back on May 7. That means Rabada will have gone straight from a tour of Australia to a home series against Sri Lanka, to a visit to New Zealand, to the IPL and to England with precious little time off before beginning another summer. Rabada is only 21 and there will be fears of burnout, but Toyana believes he is strong.”KG is an athlete. He has a good, clean bowling action and so far, touch wood, he has not had any injuries,” Toyana said. “It will always be important for him to watch where he plays and how much he plays but I am not too worried about him. He knows himself and his body and he will know if it’s becoming too much.”As for the money, no one is quite sure what Rabada will do with it yet. His love of fashion, music and a newly acquired driver’s license may lead to speculation that the bowler could use at least some of it to spoil himself but Toyana has his doubts. “He is smart kid, so I’ll say he will probably look at making some investments,” he said. “I don’t think he will spend it on anything silly and he has his dad as a mentor.”

An update has emerged on Manchester United and their plans to add a central defender to their squad in the summer transfer window…

What’s the latest on Benjamin Pavard to Manchester United?

According to FootballTransfers, the Red Devils have turned their attention to Bayern Munich stopper Benjamin Pavard ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The report claims that the Premier League side are looking at alternative options to Napoli’s Kim Min-jae, who is said to be on his way to Bavaria, with Erik ten Hag now eyeing the Bundesliga monster.

It states that the German outfit are set to demand a fee of at least €30m (£26m) for the French international, although it remains to be seen whether the English outfit are willing to match that figure or not.

Where would Benjamin Pavard fit in at Manchester United?

The very versatile former Stuttgart enforcer played the majority of his matches at centre-back for Bayern last term and his arrival could spell trouble for Raphael Varane next season.

Pavard is a right-sided player, who can also be deployed as a full-back and could partner the left-footed Lisandro Martinez at Old Trafford as part of a rather balanced-looking back four.

Varane averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85 across 24 Premier League outings in the 2022/23 campaign as he contributed with one tackle and 0.5 interceptions per game.

The ex-Real Madrid star, who also won 64% of his duels, did not rank among the top ten performers for United for tackles or interceptions per match, whilst he also placed 13th overall in the team when it came to his Sofascore rating.

The Bayern titan, meanwhile, made 2.3 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per Bundesliga outing, along with a duel success rate of 67%, and no player in ten Hag’s squad made as many, which suggests that the 27-year-old machine could be an outstanding addition to the defence.

Pavard's average Sofascore rating of 7.36 across 30 league matches was only bettered at Old Trafford by Bruno Fernandes' rating of 7.56. This illustrates how impressive the French tank's displays were for the German champions and why United must swoop for him this summer.

Once described as "underrated" by current Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchel, the Frenchman is also an exceptional ball-playing defender who could provide Ten Hag with an upgrade on Varane in possession.

The £83k-per-week talent has averaged 7.59 progressive passes per 90 across the last 365 days, which ranks among the top 1% of players in his position across Europe's top five divisions.

Meanwhile, the current United centre-back has averaged 3.23 per 90 over the last 365 days and is in the 52nd percentile, which suggests that he is a fairly average player at progressing the play with the ball at his feet.

Therefore, the signing of Pavard would be bad news for Varane as his international colleague could provide more quality on and off the ball as a central defender, which could leave the 30-year-old colossus out of the starting XI on the right side of the backline.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their pursuit of a deal for Jonathan Panzo in the summer transfer window…

What’s the latest on Jonathan Panzo to Rangers?

According to The 4th Official's Patreon page, Michael Beale has held several conversations with the central defender in an attempt to convince him that a move to Ibrox is the best next step for his career.

The report claims that the Nottingham Forest enforcer, who spent last season on loan at Coventry is keen on the switch to Scotland and it is now down to the two clubs to agree a fee.

It has previously been reported that it could take as much as £2m to tempt the Premier League side into parting ways with the former England youth international.

Would Jonathan Panzo be a good signing for Rangers?

The 22-year-old titan could be an excellent addition to Beale’s side and could get the best out of Ridvan Yilmaz, who endured a difficult debut season with the Light Blues.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst signed the Turk from Besiktas last summer and the left-footed ace missed 29 competitive matches due to injury throughout the campaign.

His fitness woes restricted him to eight Scottish Premiership starts but the new season is set to provide him with a chance to finally kickstart his career at Ibrox and the signing of Panzo could help him.

The Forest defender, who stands at 6 foot 1, is a centre-back by trade but has also played 30 club matches as a left-back, meaning that he is used to being in that area of the pitch.

Therefore, the English titan could be the perfect player to select next to Yilmaz due to his ability to drop into the space on the left flank when Rangers have possession, which would allow the Turkish whiz to push on with the security of cover behind him.

Panzo, who was once hailed as "outstanding" by former manager Mark Robins, made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game and won 58% of his duels in the Championship last season, which shows that he is capable of dominating opposition attackers and can win the ball back multiple times per match.

Yilmaz created three chances and assisted two goals in his final outing of the campaign against St Mirren and created five 'big chances' in 23 Super Lig starts for Besiktas in 21/22.

This shows that the potential is there for the 22-year-old to be a creative threat from left-back by pushing up the pitch to make things happen in the final third and Panzo's presence at the back, due to his ability to play in the middle or on the left, could allow him to bomb forward more to finally thrive down the flank in a Rangers shirt.

Michael Klinger is in line for an international debut at the age of 36 after being named in Australia’s T20 squad to take on Sri Lanka in three matches this month

Brydon Coverdale31-Jan-20171:30

‘I was hoping someone had seen my BBL performances’ – Jhye Richardson

Michael Klinger is in line for an international debut at the age of 36 after being named in Australia’s T20 squad to take on Sri Lanka in three matches this month. Wicketkeeper Tim Paine was also picked, nearly six years after he last represented Australia in any format, while the uncapped fast bowler Jhye Richardson and allrounder Ashton Turner are also hoping for debuts.However, the selectors could not find a place for the Big Bash League’s leading run scorer for this season, the Adelaide Strikers batsman Ben Dunk, who plundered 364 runs at 52.00. Nor could they find room for the BBL’s leading wicket taker, Sean Abbott, who collected 20 victims at 16.15 for the Sydney Sixers.A number of first-choice T20 players were unavailable for this squad as they will be in India preparing for a Test series, which begins the day after this T20 series finishes. Thus Aaron Finch will captain a team missing Steven Smith, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Glenn Maxwell, among others.The selection of Klinger comes after he was the third-leading run scorer in this summer’s BBL; he is also the all-time leading run scorer in BBL cricket, with 1608 runs at 36.54. He will be Australia’s second-oldest debutant in any format in the past 30 years; only Bryce McGain was older on his 2009 Test debut.”With Australia currently ranked number six in this format and with a number of our frontline players preparing for the India Test series, we have chosen a squad with a good blend of experience combined with several younger players in an effort to improve our performance and therefore our ICC T20 ranking,” national selector Trevor Hohns said.”The influence of younger players in this squad also gives us the opportunity to look forward to the ICC World T20, which is being hosted here in Australia in 2020. The overall standards being set in the BBL are very high and many of these players are making a good impression, but consistency was key for the selectors on this occasion.”On Michael Klinger’s selection, he has been a very good player in this form of the game for some time now. He has a history of strong performances in T20 competitions in the UK and in the BBL, including the match-winning innings for the Perth Scorchers to secure this year’s BBL title.”Paine is another prolific BBL scorer – eighth on the all-time run list, though 14th this year – and this series will mark a long-awaited return to international cricket for him. He has not played for Australia in any format since the ODI tour of Bangladesh in April 2011, and his last T20 international had come against England in January of the same year.”Tim Paine has been included as the batsman/wicketkeeper, adding to the more experienced players like captain Finch, Henriques, Faulkner and Tye, all of whom have consistent success across multiple summers of the BBL, as well as experience on the international stage,” Hohns said.”Both Travis Head and Chris Lynn were exceptional with the bat this summer and Chris’s selection will depend on his fitness. He is due to see a specialist later this week and we will take into account that advice ahead of this series.”Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson and Billy Stanlake round off the bowlers in the squad, all maintaining a balance of excellent economy and wickets in this format, which is essential for a winning side.”Richardson, 20, has only one first-class match to his name for Western Australia, but impressed the national selectors with 11 wickets at 20.18 in the BBL this season. Turner, 24, is an offspinning allrounder who took only five wickets this BBL season and scored 123 runs.Hohns also responded to recent comments from Victoria batsman Cameron White, who this week expressed concern that the Australia team was at times being treated as a development side.”I’m a little bit surprised by those comments, to be quite honest,” Hohns told reporters in Adelaide. “The Sheffield Shield has been well-documented as being very important to us in Australian cricket – selectors, everybody.”And then younger players – I think he just needs to remember that he was a very young man when he was given his first opportunity in one-day cricket. I don’t think there is any disparity there at all, to be honest. Cameron has had plenty of opportunities … he has had plenty of opportunities in the past and it’s probably fair to say performed okay without being earth-shattering.”Squad Aaron Finch (capt), Michael Klinger, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Moises Henriques, Ashton Turner, Tim Paine (wk), James Faulkner, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson, Billy Stanlake.

Tottenham Hotspur do hold an interest in Conor Gallagher this summer but it is not something which is close at this stage in the window.

How old is Conor Gallagher?

Spurs look prepared to press the reset button this summer with a seriously underwhelming 2022/23 campaign now behind them which saw finish in a miserable eighth spot.

Ange Postecoglou has now come through the doors as their new manager as Daniel Levy has finally solved his managerial hunt following Antonio Conte's departure.

However, there are still some glaring areas which are in need of improvement considering the Lilywhites were unable to even secure a spot in the Europa Conference League for the upcoming campaign.

It is believed the north London outfit have identified the Leicester City star James Maddison as a potential option for the summer window with expected competition from Newcastle United.

But another name which is also seemingly on their radar is that of the Chelsea midfielder Gallagher who is also believed to be a target of the Toon.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed someone at Spurs appreciated the Chelsea midfielder but at the moment their attention is on Maddison:

"It's true that also someone at Tottenham appreciates the player. But, at the moment, it's not something concrete and Tottenham's focus is on James Madison."

How many years does Conor Gallagher have left on his contract?

The Chelsea midfielder did not have a campaign he will be wanting to remember in a hurry having only been able to provide a return of three goals and one assist in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

And this is a position where Spurs have been in dire need of some creativity and dependability in returning goals and assists.

Tottenham's highest scoring midfielder over the 2022/23 campaign was Rodrigo Bentancur with a total of six goals across all competitions.

But to put that figure into perspective, the Uruguayan has been out of action since February after sustaining a season-ending ACL injury which resulted in him undergoing surgery.

With his 2022/23 returns in mind, perhaps Maddison would prove a safer option for Tottenham considering he was able to provide an impressive 10 goals and nine assists for Leicester City (via Transfermarkt).

And despite having just two years remaining on his deal at Stamford Bridge, reports from Germany (via football.london) suggest Chelsea could still be looking for around £44m for the 23-year-old.

Pakistan are looking at left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar as a second spinner for the Sydney Test on a track that has traditionally been spin friendly

Osman Samiuddin in Sydney02-Jan-20173:28

Samiuddin: Pakistan could go for two spinners

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar could be in line for a debut in the third and final Test against Australia at the SCG, as Pakistan actively consider the option of playing two spinners.The Sydney surface has traditionally been good for spin and is likely to be this year as well. Australia, with one eye on their tour of India, have already named two spinners in their XI- Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe.Asghar, who will become the first Balochistan-born cricketer to play a Test match if he debuts, was called up to the squad initially as a back-up for Yasir Shah after the legspinner pulled up with a back injury ahead of the warm-up game in Cairns at the start of the tour.On tour, he has impressed Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, a man not easily impressed by spinners. Misbah spoke in unusually glowing terms of Asghar’s left-arm spin in private and did so publicly on Monday.”I’m really impressed by his bowling,” Misbah said. “I’ve seen his temperament [at the Pakistan Super League] that was massive for him, big tournament. The way he handled pressure there. They used him in the circle against some of the most destructive batsman in the world.”He bowled with a lot of control and courage. The way he’s bowling in the nets, he’s been tremendous. Even some of the best players of spin, they really rate him up. He’s the one you can trust anytime.”Asghar came to national attention with Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL in February 2016, where he took 11 wickets; he has since evolved and on a Pakistan A tour of Zimbabwe in October, was the second-highest wicket-taker in the four-day matches.As captain, Misbah has traditionally opted for two specialist spinners in his playing XI in the UAE and switched to one outside of Asia. Until 2015, Mohammad Hafeez provided a handy offspin option outside Asia. If they do play two spinners in Sydney, it would be the first time Pakistan will do so outside Asia since a Test in Harare in September 2013, when Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman played.Mohammad Asghar trains on the eve of the third Test in Sydney•Getty Images”It can be an option,” Misbah said. “It all depends on the final look of the pitch, how it comes up on the last day especially, before the start. It’s not that if Australia have got two spinners then we have to also put two spinners. It’s about how to think about the conditions and how we can strengthen our team. We’ll definitely go for it if we think that this pitch is going to do a little bit for the spinners on the last day.”According to the SCG curator, the pitch should do a bit, provided the weather holds up and there is some sun – the forecast isn’t great, with sporadic showers and cloud cover over the next few days.”You’re going to see pretty much a traditional SCG pitch,” Tom Parker said. “The SCG always traditionally spins. That’s been the nature of the beast here for many years. All of our games this season… we’ve seen a fair bit of turn.”Another spinner may also ease the burden on Yasir Shah, who has struggled not only with conditions but with the lines that he has bowled, or been asked to bowl. So far, Yasir has bowled 94.1 overs in the two Tests, for six wickets, and conceded over four runs an over.If Asghar does get picked, it will also be the first time in 20 years that Pakistan have played two spinners in a Test in Australia. The last time it happened was also in Sydney, in December 1995; Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq took 11 wickets between them in Pakistan’s last Test win in the country.One factor that will not influence the selection is Pakistan’s slow over rate. They have been punished for slow over rates three times in their last four Tests. “You don’t make strategies for slow over rates,” Misbah said. “You obviously want to have a combination that you think can win the game. That is our priority and if we think it is a 3-1 [three pacers, one spinner] pitch, definitely we will go for that. We have to improve in changeovers.”

Misbah-ul-Haq’s second minor over-rate offence in the last 12 months has resulted in a suspension from the upcoming Hamilton Test against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2016Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has been given a one-match suspension by the ICC for his side’s slow over rate during the first Test against New Zealand last week, meaning he has to miss the second Test in Hamilton. Misbah, however, was set to miss the Hamilton Test anyway, after returning home on Sunday evening following the death of his father-in-law.While the Pakistan captain was fined 40% of his match fee, the rest of the team was fined 20% after the side was ruled to have been two overs short of its target of 103 overs after time allowances were taken into consideration. Misbah was previously found guilty of a minor over-rate offence during the Oval Test against England in August; this was his second minor over-rate offence in the same format in a period of 12 months, and as per the rules two offences in 12 months equate to fines and a suspension from the immediately subsequent match in the same format.The charge was laid by on-field umpires Ian Gould and S Ravi, third umpire Simon Fry, and fourth official Shaun Haig. He had only briefly taken the field during New Zealand’s chase on the fourth day and was scheduled to leave the country on Sunday evening. He had made scores of 31 and 13 in the Christchurch Test.Misbah had previously missed only one Test since he was appointed captain in 2010: he was unavailable for a 2012 Test in Galle, due to a suspension for slow over-rates.Pakistan are currently trailing 0-1 in the two-Test series after an eight-wicket loss in Christchurch.

Liverpool are expected to be active in the summer transfer market after a difficult season and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club's pursuit of a potential target.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Micky van de Ven?

Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Liverpool have been "following" VfL Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven.

Romano told GIVEMESPORT:

"Now for Van de Ven is a player they've been following for a long time. Let's see if they decide to enter into it or not. But it's just about following the player nothing else at the moment honestly."

Who would Micky van de Ven replace in the Liverpool team?

The highest priority for Jurgen Klopp and his new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke is clearly to rebuild the midfield presence in the squad, with Alexis Mac Allister already confirmed as the first signing of the summer.

Having said that, there is an element of pressure mounting on the club to consider their defensive options too as both Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip well into their 30s at this point, with the latter entering the last year of his contract next season.

Indeed, the German coach has started to establish Ibrahima Konate as a starter in the first team but bringing in some more youthful talent and fresh depth in the defensive set-up would be massively advantageous as Liverpool attempt to build the next generation of success at Anfield.

As a result, the signing of van de Ven could be a great opportunity for Klopp and could provide him with the dream heir for Matip to learn the ropes as his understudy in preparation for the chance that the defender departs as a free agent next summer.

Over 33 Bundesliga appearances, the 22-year-old Dutchman – hailed "dominant" by talent scout Jacek Kulig – has tallied up an 88% pass completion rate, 11 clean sheets and successfully completed 70% of his dribbles, as well as averaging 1.4 tackles, 3.1 clearances, 64 touches and 3.8 duels won per game, proving that he is a huge presence with reliable defensive traits.

Not only that, van de Ven ranked second for pass interceptions in his own half in the entire Bundesliga this season, as well as ranking in the top five for tackles in his own half and the top ten for blocked shots, as per One Versus One.

With that being said, it is reported that the Wolfsburg colossus has a price tag of €30m (£26m) which would fit FSG's strict financial structure perfectly, so a potential move for van de Ven is definitely one to watch for Liverpool this summer.