Reports: Liverpool to beat Barcelona to sign Bundesliga star

What’s the story?

Liverpool and Barcelona do not share a good relationship. The Reds were furious with the Catalan side for publicly trying to lure Philippe Coutinho in the summer and then making bids despite making it clear that he won't be sold.

And now, Liverpool want to make sure that they get the player Barcelona have been tracking for months! According to reports in BILD, Liverpool lead the race to sign Leon Goretzka. The 22-year-old is free to sign a pre-contract next month as his contract at Schalke expir in the summer.

In case you didn’t know…

Jurgen Klopp wants to sign the players who can get him the Premier League title and the Liverpool board is doing all it can to back him in the transfer market. They have already signed Van Dijk for £75 million – a world record fee for a defender – and also got Naby Keita by paying a premium over his release clause.

The heart of the matter

Goretzka has been often compared to Michael Ballack and is one of the most promising central midfielders in Germany right now. His contract expires at the end of the season and is being chased by a lot of clubs around Europe.

The German is also a target for Juventus, Bayern Munich and Arsenal. In the last month, he has been linked with Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid as well.

Goretzka is expected to make an announcement on his future next week. Liverpool remain confident of securing the deal and signing a pre-contract with him.

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Author’s Take

Liverpool are certainly building a team that can challenge for the Premier League title. They still need another centre-back and a goalkeeper and that is something Klopp would be focusing on in the summer.