Liverpool are supposedly weighing up a €45m (£38.6m) January swoop for Atalanta BC midfielder Teun Koopmeiners.
The 25-year-old learned his trade in the youth system at AZ Alkmaar before leaving for Atalanta in the summer of 2021, and he has since shone in various engine room roles under Gian Piero Gasperini.
While formerly a defensive midfielder, Koopmeiners has consistently provided a goal threat for Atalanta, registering 21 goals and 12 assists in 104 matches for La Dea across all competitions.
The Netherlands international has slowly transitioned to a more attacking role during his time in Serie A and has five goals and three assists to show from 19 top-flight games in 2023-24, often operating as a number 10.
Since the turn of the calendar year, Koopmeiners has worn his best shooting boots with goals in back-to-back Serie A games against Roma and Frosinone, as well as a brace to propel Atalanta to a 2-1 win over AC Milan in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.
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The former AZ youngster is under contract with Gasperini's side for another three-and-a-half years, but according to La Gazzetta dello Sport - via TEAMtalk - Liverpool could soon try to prise him away from the Gewiss Stadium.
The report states that the Reds are ready to come forward with a €45m (£38.6m) offer, and Jurgen Klopp feels that Koopmeiners is the box-to-box midfielder that the Reds require to elevate their game to the next level.
The Liverpool boss is said to be pushing for the club's owners to bring in yet another midfield option before the January window shuts, and Koopmeiners's versatility is also appreciated by Klopp.
However, Juventus and Newcastle United - both of whom are known to be in the winter market for midfield additions - could rival Liverpool for the signature of Koopmeiners, who also has two goals and two assists to show from 20 matches in a Netherlands jersey.
Due to the decline of a few ageing midfielders last season, Liverpool underwent a major central reshuffle ahead of the 2023-24 season, acquiring the services of Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.
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All four have featured regularly during Liverpool's exceptional first half of the season, and the Reds are still competing for glory on four fronts in the Premier League - where they hold a five-point lead at the top of the table - Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup.
Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott provide alternative midfield options for Klopp, but there is still no definitive timeframe on Stefan Bajcetic's recovery from a growth-related calf injury, which Liverpool are taking an extremely cautious approach over.
In addition, fellow midfielder Thiago Alcantara has spent nine months out of action with a hip injury and subsequent setbacks, and the Spaniard is also due to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Barcelona, Flamengo, Juventus, Inter Milan and Al Ettifaq have all been credited with an interest in Thiago, who is able to enter pre-contract talks with foreign teams as long as he does not commit to another Reds deal.
Liverpool are yet to bring any new faces to the club in the January transfer window, although six players have been recalled from their loan spells elsewhere.
Ben Knapton
