Liverpool are reportedly ahead of Newcastle United in the race to sign Sevilla defender Loic Bade.
The Reds have been tipped to make a move for a new centre-back amidst uncertainty over the future of club captain Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk has less than six months remaining on his current contract at Anfield and is now free to negotiate pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs.
The 30-year-old, who has made almost 300 appearances since joining the Merseyside giants from Southampton in January 2018, admitted last week that there is unlikely to be any imminent progress on his contract situation.
Should the Netherlands international decide to seek pastures new next summer, Liverpool will need to sign a replacement, and one name who has been identified as a potential target is Frenchman Balde.
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Liverpool move ahead of Newcastle in Bade pursuit?
According to The Sun, both Liverpool and Newcastle have been monitoring the 24-year-old, with reports in Spain claiming that the Premier League duo are weighing up a January move.
However, it is understood that Newcastle are unlikely to complete any major transfer deals before the winter window closes on February 3.
This therefore would leave Liverpool with a clearer path to swoop for Bade in the coming weeks, with the defender potentially available for around £20m.
Bade, who joined Sevilla in September 2023, is under contract until the summer of 2029 and is said to have a release clause in his deal worth £50m.
However, it is claimed that Sevilla's financial troubles will make it hard for the La Liga outfit to resist offers below Bade's release clause.
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Liverpool leading race for Bade?
Bade has suffered with a couple of injuries this season, but he has been a first-team regular for Sevilla when fit, starting 14 La Liga matches at centre-back.
The former Nottingham Forest loanee, who endured a frustrating four-month period at the City Ground during the first half of the 2022-23 campaign, is considered an important first-team player for a Sevilla side that sit 13th in the La Liga table.
It has previously been reported that Catalan giants Barcelona could rival Liverpool for the signature of Bade, while Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have also been credited with an interest.
However, it seems at present that Liverpool are at the front of the queue to sign the French defender, who is yet to make a senior international appearance for his country, but he was called up to Didier Deschamps's squad in September last year.
Oliver Thomas
