Ex- Manchester United goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler is in line to become one of Jorg Schmadtke's first signings as Liverpool sporting director.
German transfer chief Schmadtke remains in advanced talks with the Anfield hierarchy over replacing the outgoing Julian Ward, who'll depart at the end of this season to join Dutch giants Ajax, Mirror Football understands. While we await official confirmation of Schmadtke's appointment, the current Wolfsburg bigwig is already making plans ahead of the summer transfer window.
First on the agenda is to sign 34-year-old Zieler, who came through the ranks at Man United before joining Hannover in 2010, where Schmadtke was working as the club's sporting director. That means that the six times-capped Germany international is classed a homegrown player under Premier League rules, solving a looming problem for manager Jurgen Klopp.
Premier League teams can't have more than 17 non-homegrown players in their squad, a quota set up in an effort to encourage English clubs to blood as many academy prospects as possible. Although he's most definitely German, having been born and raised in Cologne, Zieler fits the bill for Klopp and co's needs.
The Reds boss is also on the lookout for new backup goalkeepers to play second fiddle to Alisson Becker. Current No.2 Caoimhin Kelleher - himself a homegrown player - has attracted interest from Brentford and Brighton, with the Irishman growing more eager to play first-team football after two seasons deputising for Alisson. Meanwhile veteran Adrian will also leave the club this summer.
Kelleher's exit could follow the departures of team-mates James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nat Phillips, all of whom are also homegrown players in Liverpool's existing squad. Bild explain that due to Zieler only having one year left on his contract with Hannover, where he's been enjoying a second spell since 2019, there's a growing feeling within the second-tier German club that they'd lose him if Liverpool were to offer a lucrative financial package this summer.
Zieler has also played for Leicester - where he made nine appearances during the 2016-17 season - and Stuttgart, as well as loan spells with Northampton and hometown club Koln. The 34-year-old was never handed a first-team appearance for Man United as a youngster, with the likes of Ben Foster, Tomasz Kuszczak, Tom Heaton and long-serving No.1 Edwin van der Sar ahead of him in Sir Alex Ferguson 's pecking order.
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Since departing Old Trafford, Zieler has enjoyed a respected career and even boasts a World Cup winner's medal thanks to being part of Joachim Low 's squad for Germany's 2014 triumph in Brazil. The Hannover captain has racked up 90 appearances since re-signing for Die Blauen in 2019, coming off the back of their relegation to the Bundesliga 2.
Zieler could make a further three appearances this term before Hannover's mid-table campaign comes to an end. Should Schmadtke and Klopp get their way, he'd be able to officially become a Liverpool player once the summer transfer window opens on June 10.
