Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has reportedly identified Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne as the ideal replacement for Philippe Coutinho.
The 26-year-old will be a difficult man to prise away from the Italian giants, as aside from scoring 20 goals last season to establish himself as a key figure in Maurizio Sarri’s side, he’s a born-and-bred Neapolitan and is undoubtedly living his dream.
However, that isn’t enough to put Klopp off it seems as The Mirror report that the Liverpool coach wants the £60m-rated Italian international, as he eyes the best possible way to spend the £100m+ that the Reds could receive from the sale of Barcelona target Coutinho.
Despite Fenway Sports Group releasing a statement on Friday insisting that Coutinho wasn’t for sale and would not be leaving, the fact that the 25-year-old handed in a transfer request hours later could complicate matters.
Klopp conceded on Saturday that the decision will be up to the owners, while there is a question mark over whether he really wants to keep a player against his will at the club, or at least one that has ambitions of playing elsewhere.
In turn, it seems like the sensible move to start considering replacements now, as with just over two weeks to go in the transfer window, they don’t want to sell and run out of time to sign a top player to fill the void.
It’s added by the Mirror that Schalke starlet Max Meyer is an alternative as he has just a year remaining on his contract and has rejected a renewal from the Bundesliga outfit, while Julian Brandt is another name on the radar.
As a result, Meyer may well be a more realistic target as it’s claimed that he’d be keen on working with Klopp at Liverpool, and so there may well be big changes at Anfield in the coming weeks.