Liverpool have reportedly identified Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Mario Lemina as a potential transfer target.
The Merseyside giants have witnessed as many as five players for the centre of the pitch move on to pastures new this summer, with the sales of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson having initially not been anticipated.
As a result, Jurgen Klopp has been left short of options with only Alexis Mac Allister having been signed from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Recently, Liverpool have tried and failed to beat Chelsea in the races for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia respectively, with Klopp now left scrambling for fresh faces before the end of August.
Stuttgart's Waturu Endo appears to be on his way to Anfield in a deal worth a small percentage of what Liverpool were willing to pay for Caicedo.
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However, Klopp will want at least one more addition for the engine room to complement the other options that he has at his disposal ahead of their Europa League fixtures being added to the schedule.
According to Foot Mercato, Liverpool are one of a number of clubs who have started to include Lemina on their shortlist of possible acquisitions.
The 29-year-old has quickly established himself as an influential member of Wolves' squad since arriving from Nice as recently as January.
A total of 18 starts and two substitute appearances have been made during that time, with the only fixture missed by the 29-year-old coming after a harsh red card against Southampton in February.
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Lemina formed an effective midfield trio alongside Joao Gomes and Matheus Nunes versus Manchester United on Monday evening, but it appears that it has only further showcased his ability to admirers.
As well as Liverpool, two other unnamed clubs in the Premier League are said to be monitoring the situation, as well as teams in Saudi Arabia.
While the report adds that Lemina, who has a contract at Wolves until 2025, is happy at Molineux, a transfer elsewhere cannot be ruled out at this stage.
Wolves are said to have paid in the region of €11m to sign Lemina and would expect significantly more than that figure if they were to give the green light to a sale, one which would further boost their ailing position with FFP.
Darren Plant
