A campaign to forget for Liverpool concludes on Sunday afternoon when they travel to already-relegated Southampton for their final match of the Premier League season.
Regardless of the result on the South Coast, Liverpool know they will be playing in UEFA's second-tier competition from September onwards, with seven wins from their last 10 games not enough to secure the latest of late qualifications for next season's Champions League at the expense of either Manchester United or Newcastle United.
With that in mind, the imminent arrival of Bundesliga veteran Jorg Schmadtke highlights how swiftly those at Anfield are moving behind the scenes to ensure a first Europa League campaign since 2016 is nothing more than a mere blot on Jurgen Klopp's extraordinary European record since succeeding Brendan Rodgers in the autumn of 2015.
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Schmadtke, the ECHO understands, is set to fly to Merseyside in the next few days to iron out the final details of his short-term Liverpool contract, which will see him succeed outgoing sporting director Julian Ward after less than 12 months in the role.
Schmadtke enjoyed an established career in the Bundesliga as a player between the years of 1985 and 1998 and has since forged a reputation as one of the more renowned sporting directors that Germany has seen. Most recently heading up sporting operations at 2009 top-flight winners Wolfsburg before announcing his 'retirement' earlier this year, the 59-year-old has also held equal roles at Alemannia Aachen, Hannover 96 and FC Koln.
Once Schmadtke finalise a deal with the Reds, where he will work alongside Dave Fallows and Barry Hunter, publications in Germany have already suspected he could use his comprehensive list of connections to prise some of the Bundesliga's top talents to Anfield as Klopp continues to draw up plans for a considerable summer overhaul.
According to SPORTBild, Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who the ECHO understands is a summer target for Liverpool, is a player who Schmadtke is "hot for" and could look to prise to his new employers after the Dutchman's difficult debut season at the Allianz Arena.
Gravenberch made the move to Bavaria last summer from boyhood club Ajax but has failed to nail down a starting place under either Julian Nagelsmann or his successor Thomas Tuchel. Last month, Sky Sports claimed the 21-year-old was on the shortlist of Liverpool's midfield targets last summer alongside Aurelien Tchouameni, Enzo Fernandez, Jude Bellingham and Nicolo Barella.
It was also reported by Sky Sports that senior figures at the Reds had met with both the player's agent, Rafaela Pimenta, and his father, who looks to guide his son during the fledgling stages of his career.
Elsewhere, fellow Bundesliga midfielder Florian Neuhaus has also been named as a player Schmadtke could look to lure to the red half of Merseyside this summer. The Borussia Monchengladbach and Germany star was linked with a move to Liverpool in the summer of 2021 and, with his contract expiring next summer, SPORTBild claims Monchengladbach could be "willing" to listen to offers in the region of £10m-£15m for the 26-year-old.
Links to both midfielders come after the Reds decided to halt their interest in Borussia Dortmund and England superstar Bellingham, in favour of distributing summer funds in a more even manner across their engine room rather than sanctioning one bank-shattering deal.
Josko Gvardiol, who has previously admitted to being a supporter of Liverpool as a young boy, is the next player who has been listed as one with the potential to earn a move to Anfield in the coming months, with SPORTBild claiming the RB Leipzig defender is on the "shopping list of almost every top club".
The 21-year-old, who can play as either a centre-back or left-back, has enjoyed a fine season for both club and country, with his performances during the World Cup for Croatia alerting numerous top clubs to his talents.
Klopp admitted earlier this month that the Reds will be looking to strengthen all of their departments this summer, apart from the forward line, and Gvardiol has been hailed by supporters as someone who could excel on the left side of the defence in the German's new-look 3-2-2-3 formation.
The World Cup semi-finalist is under contract at the Red Bull Arena until the summer of 2027, with a release clause in the excess of £90m set to come into play from July 2024 onwards. When asked by reporters last year where his dream destination would be, Gvardiol said: “That would definitely be Liverpool.
“I’ve watched a lot of Liverpool games with my dad since I was little and we covered every season in depth. It’s a club that has stayed in my heart.”
Soon-to-be out-of-contract Japan and Eintracht Frankfurt playmaker Daichi Kamada has also been linked with a summer switch to the Premier League, with the 26-year-old reportedly keen to replicate his idol and former Man United midfielder Shinji Kagawa. Despite being the only member of SPORTBild's list not have previously been linked with a move to Liverpool, the midfielder is said to be attracting the attention of both Benfica and AC Milan.
As it stands, Kamada has nine goals and six assists heading into the final week of the Bundesliga season, with his departure said to be inevitable.
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