Liverpool are poised to take the next step of their midfield rebuild as the Under-21 European Championships get underway this week.
Having signed Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month by triggering a release clause that was believed to stand at £35m, the Reds' recruitment team have turned their attention elsewhere.
Khephren Thuram of OGC Nice in France's Ligue 1 is near the top of the shortlist, while the ECHO understands Celta Vigo's Gabri Veiga is also being assessed after an excellent campaign in La Liga that saw him score 11 times.
Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich has been a long-time target but much rests on the plans of new manager Thomas Tuchel with the pair set to sit down later this summer.
Liverpool reportedly held positive discussions with Gravenberch's representatives earlier this year but are awaiting the developments in Bavaria as Tuchel settles in for his first summer with the Bundesliga champions.
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Gravenberch and Thuram are both represented by agent Rafaella Pimenta, who visited Anfield earlier this year amid January links to the Bayern Munich man. The Brazilian solicitor sent speculation over Thuram into overdrive last week when she posted a picture of Nice's headquarters to her Instagram account.
"I just want to play more, preferably at Bayern," Gravenberch told De Telegraaf last week. "Otherwise at a club where I’ll 100% play. That’s my preference. I don’t want to have another year like the one I’ve just had. I really learned a lot from it. But I just want to play football.
“I haven’t really spoken to the coach about that yet, that will happen after the Euros when I’m back from Georgia and Romania. Then we’ll see how things are.”
Manu Kone of Borussia Monchengladbach is another under consideration after an impressive showing in Germany last term and the Reds are weighing up their next move following the early arrival of primary target Mac Allister, who signed on a five-year deal less than a fortnight after the Premier League had finished.
With all four set to be involved for their respective nations, the prospect of having to send a delegation to Romania and Georgia, where the tournament is being held, is a possibility for Liverpool as they aim to build on the capture of Mac Allister.
Thuram and Kone could be part of the France side that meets Italy in Cluj on Thursday, while Netherlands starlet Gravenberch may take part in the opening night's action when Oranje jong play Belgium at the Meskhi Stadium, in Tbilisi.
Veiga, who reportedly has a release clause of around £34m, is expected to play a part for Spain against Romania in Bucharest on Wednesday evening. Romeo Lavia, of Southampton, also has his admirers but the Belgium Under-21 international will not be involved in the competition having been forced to withdraw last week through injury.
While Liverpool would ideally use their own facilities for a player's medical, Mac Allister's recent tests were undertaken at a centre in Manchester to avoid further attention on the imminent arrival, while Luis Diaz, who signed from Porto in January 2022, was checked over in Argentina after the club sent a team out to South America before he took part in a game for Colombia.
And while there has been no indication that the Reds have been given permission as of yet to arrange a medical with any of their transfer targets, the fact that all four will be in the same region in the coming weeks will likely be viewed as a welcome development as the club watch on closely behind the scenes.
New sporting director Jorg Schmadtke will take the lead on negotiations for the rest of the window having officially joined at the start of June on a short-term deal. The addition of Mac Allister marked something of a handover from Julian Ward whose decade-long service to Liverpool ended at the beginning of the month.
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