Liverpool have reportedly emerged as contenders to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie in January, with the player's agent stating that talks remain ongoing between the two parties.
The 21-year-old joined the German club in the summer of 2021 and has since featured 80 times for Xabi Alonso's men, scoring three goals from a centre-back position.
Hincapie is also an important member of his national team, representing Ecuador at the World Cup in Qatar during 2022, although La Tri were unable to make it out of the group stage.
The defender has featured in just two Bundesliga matches for Leverkusen so far in 2023-24, with both of those appearances coming off the bench in clashes against Bayern Munich and newly-promoted Heidenheim.
Manuel Sierra - the agent of Hincapie - has spoken about his client's situation as the season fast approaches the New Year and subsequently the January transfer window.
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"Liverpool were interested in him, but at that time (in the summer) they chose to invest in the midfield," he told Joaquín Saavedra via Bolavip. "For January they are talking like other clubs, it will not be less than £50m."
Jurgen Klopp welcomed four new faces to the club in the summer transfer window, and the Reds' business was clearly focused around rebuilding their engine room following some high-profile departures.
Defensive-midfield options Fabinho and Jordan Henderson both ended their spells at Anfield to joining the fast-growing Saudi Pro League at Al Ittihad and Al Ettifaq respectively.
Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also departed Merseyside at the expiration of their deals, meaning that the 2019 Champions League winners needed to bring in serious reinforcements.
Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai joined from Brighton & Hove Albion and RB Leipzig respectively during the early stages of the summer window, before combative players Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo were added to the Anfield dressing room.
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It is understood that Liverpool were keen to recruit a left-footed defender to partner Virgil van Dijk, however Klopp's men ultimately opted to focus all their attention on upgrading their midfield ranks.
The emergence of Jarell Quansah for the Reds has eased worries of limited options at centre-back, with the 20-year-old academy graduate making three Premier League appearances so far in 2023-24.
Hincapie is currently being kept out of the Leverkusen XI by a back three of Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Odilon Kossounou, and it is likely that the Ecuadorian will once again settle for a spot on the bench when they host FC Koln on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool responded to their controversial defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend by easing past Union SG in the Europa League on Thursday night, with a trip to Brighton next up before the season's second international break.
Carter White
