Liverpool are reportedly preparing to table a €40m (£33.7m) bid for AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer.
The former Arsenal youngster failed to make it in North London under Arsene Wenger but has since established himself as a regular for Stefano Pioli's Rossoneri.
Amid competition from Sandro Tonali and Franck Kessie - who has now departed for Barcelona - Bennacer contributed two goals and one assist in 31 Serie A matches last season.
The Algeria international started 15 of those matches as the Rossoneri won the Scudetto, while he also started four Champions League games in the group stage.
Bennacer's contract at San Siro only has another two years left to run, which has led to speculation surrounding a potential Premier League return for the 2022-23 season.
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Arsenal have been linked with a swoop for their former player, who only made one appearance for the Gunners in the EFL Cup before leaving in 2017.
Now, Calciomercatoweb claims that Liverpool are also plotting a swoop for the 24-year-old, who would be the subject of a €40m (£33.7m) fee from the Reds.
The report adds that Bennacer possesses a release clause of €50m (£42.2m) in his existing Milan deal, and the Rossoneri may try to hold out for that fee at first.
Bennacer has now contributed three goals and five assists in 105 matches for Milan over the past three years and is being linked with a move to Liverpool at a time where Reds fans are growing increasingly frustrated over the club's refusal to sign a new midfielder.
Jurgen Klopp's side have already signed Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay in the summer transfer window, and there were not expected to be any more incomings at Anfield.
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However, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have now suffered fresh injuries, and Thiago Alcantara was taken off with a suspected hamstring issue in Saturday's 2-2 Premier League draw with Fulham.
Klopp was questioned on the possibility of a new midfielder coming in after Thiago was withdrawn at Craven Cottage, but the Reds boss shot down hopes of the club opening the chequebook for a short-term solution.
"I know what will now come up, it's clear. We said we don't need a midfielder because we have enough - and we actually have enough, but the problem now is we get punished for something that is not our responsibility really because things like this can happen," Klopp told reporters.
"Nobody could image that Curtis gets the thing he gets; it is nothing serious but he is a young boy and it is a kind of stress reaction. Bodies are like this. Naby [Keita] is only ill and he will now be back definitely next week again.
"Look, a transfer must make sense now and in the long-term; we have midfielders, we have still enough midfielders. It is not that we lack midfielders, but it's just some of them are injured. This is not a good situation, I don't like it at all, but we have to see how we react on that - but for sure not panicking."
Liverpool will aim to return to winning ways when they welcome Crystal Palace to Anfield on August 15.
Ben Knapton
