Liverpool have reportedly suffered a blow in their pursuit of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is said to be in advanced negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain.
The Reds are yet to make a signing in the January transfer window, but to their credit, they showcased their squad depth on Saturday afternoon when they beat Accrington Stanley 4-0 at Anfield in the FA Cup.
Despite Arne Slot's side scoring four times, there have been concerns that regular first-team starters like Mohamed Salah could burn out in attack.
Winger Federico Chiesa is yet to start a single Premier League match this campaign, and this has meant that Salah has had to start every game in the league and Champions League so far.
In a blow to Slot's ambitions of reinforcing the forward line, Sky Italy report that PSG's negotiations for Napoli winger Kvaratskhelia are progressing quickly.
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Why Liverpool could need Kvaratskhelia
Napoli boss Antonio Conte confirmed on Saturday that Kvaratskhelia has asked to be sold, saying: "Regarding Kvara, he has now asked the club to be sold. I'm telling you without mincing any words. It was signalled to me and then the player himself confirmed it to me."
While Kvaratskhelia has played predominantly on the left of attack, his arrival could mean the likes of Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz are able to feature across the frontline rather than share minutes on the left, meaning that Salah could be rested for the most important matches at the end of the season.
Slot made eight changes to the XI that started his side's 1-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur last Wednesday, but the Reds boss benefitted from the fact his side faced a team from League Two.
If Liverpool were to draw a Premier League club in the next round of the FA Cup, the Dutchman would almost certainly have to field a stronger XI, and it remains to be seen if the Merseysiders' current squad would be able to cope with the demands of competing on four fronts.
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Does Slot have other priorities?
There is an argument that Slot does not necessarily need to prioritise attacking reinforcements considering his team have scored 47 goals in the Premier League after 19 games, while no other team has scored 40 despite 18 of them playing 20 top-flight fixtures.
Left-back has been an area of concern this season considering veteran Andrew Robertson has struggled at both ends of the pitch, with the defender having already been sent off and given away two penalties this term.
Elsewhere, Slot has so far only shown faith in Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones for three midfield positions, and an injury to one of the quartet could prove damaging.
Perhaps it would not be as big a blow to lose Kvaratskhelia to PSG if the Reds made reinforcements elsewhere in order to make the most of their advantage in the Premier League title race.
Lewis Nolan
