Work is well underway at the AXA Training Centre as Jurgen Klopp looks to put Liverpool's fifth-place Premier League finish behind them with a midfield rebuild.
Europa League football awaits the Reds next season and it's what they deserve after an underwhelming campaign that left Klopp and his recruitment team open to criticism for neglecting the midfield department.
However, that is about to change with the imminent arrival of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion. And attentions may now being turned to the likes of Manu Kone.
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Klopp has made it no secret his desire to reinvigorate his Liverpool squad and a move for Mac Allister is showing signs of a good summer. However, more is needed.
Kone is rumoured to be one of the names next on the list as new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke uses his knowledge of the Bundesliga to pick out the best talent available for the best price.
Kone is exactly that - the best talent at a reported asking price of around £34m from Borussia Monchengladbach . And the 22-year-old would bring youth and dominance to a midfield that has been lacking that for a year.
The France Under-21 international has been compared to Brighton star Moises Caicedo as per FBref, but would be available for much lower fee.
When comparing Kone to Caicedo from this season's stats, they share many similarities in key attributes including pass completion rate (86.2% v 88.5%), tackles and interceptions completed (106 v 106), take-on success (48.3% v 51.9%), ball recoveries (221 v 248) and goal-creating actions per 90 (0.17 v 0.14).
Kone ranks ninth for tackles and 10th for progressive passes, passes into the final third and shots on target in the entire Bundesliga this season - showing his strong box-to-box abilities.
His ability to progress up the field with the ball while also being able to sniff out danger would be a huge asset to Klopp's midfield and lessen the burden on the likes of Fabinho.
Arriving at such a young age would allow Kone, who was a Reds fan growing up, to be moulded by Klopp into one of the best midfield talents in Europe and push on from the fantastic performances he has shown in Germany already.
Mac Allister's addition paired with Kone would be a huge improvement on what Liverpool had to offer this season and could provide Klopp with a midfield capable of competing for the biggest prizes once again.
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