Liverpool eyes be trained on the Under-21 European Championships this month as their summer midfield rebuild continues to take shape.
The Reds are assessing the merits of four midfielders who are playing at the tournament following the capture of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton last week.
With the transfer window now open, Liverpool, under new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke, will need an aggressive and proactive couple of months if they are to restructure their engine room properly.
But with a handful of their next targets involved for their countries in Romania and Georgia, there might have to be a little bit of patience and agility from the Reds' recruitment team.
Here is the low-down on those being looked at and when supporters can get a chance to see them in action later this month.
Ryan Gravenberch
Netherlands star Ryan Gravenberch is a player who Liverpool have liked for some time. Having shot to prominence in his formative years at Ajax, the Oranje international completed a move to Bayern Munich last summer for a relatively modest fee of an initial £18m.
Prior to his switch to the Bundesliga giants, Gravenberch helped Ajax to three Eredivisie titles by the age of 20 and he will no doubt have been more acutely assessed by Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff when he played for the Dutch side against the Reds in the 2020 Champions League group stages.
As one of the best young talents in Holland who was available for such a moderately low sum, it is no surprise to learn of Liverpool's long-standing admiration but such interest has only been ramped up following his lack of game-time at Bayern last term.
It's been reported that Liverpool met with the player's representative, Rafaela Pimenta, earlier this year and found Gravenberch to be receptive to a possible move to Anfield but Bayern appear reluctant to allow the midfielder to depart, presently.
A lot could hinge on new manager Thomas Tuchel but if he does not feature in the former Chelsea coach's plans in Munich, Gravenberch more than hinted that would seek a club where his talents are more valued in an interview with Dutch publication De Telegraaf this week.
"I just want to play more, preferably at Bayern," he said. "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 (U-21) Euros when I’m back from Georgia and Romania. Then we’ll see how things are.”
Expect Liverpool to be front and centre if Gravenberch seeks a move away from the Allianz Arena.
Netherlands v Belgium, June 21
Netherlands v Portugal, June 24
Netherlands v Georgia, June 27
All kick-off times are 5pm.
Khephen Thuram
It is thought that France international Thuram is sitting near the top of the current midfield shortlist following an excellent season with OGC Nice in Ligue 1.
The explosive and rangy midfielder is known as someone who can carry the ball over large distances with his powerful running and his profile stands out as something Liverpool don't really have within their ranks currently.
The 22-year-old's agent, Rafaela Pimenta, set tongues wagging this week when she posted a picture of herself inside Nice's headquarters in France, inevitably igniting speculation she was sitting down to discuss terms over an exit.
Speaking earlier this week, Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate admitted he would be delighted to see Thuram arrive at Anfield, saying: “I would be very happy for him to come to Liverpool and I would take him under my wing and I would do everything for him to progress and become the player he wants to become."
Manu Kone
Another player from the France Under-21 set-up who has been linked is Borussia Monchengladbach star Manu Kone.
Kone has made 60 appearances for the Bundesliga side since moving two-and-a-half years ago and is said to be valued at somewhere between £35-£40m. German publication BILD credited Liverpool with interest earlier this month.
France v Italy, June 22
France v Norway, June 25
France v Switzerland, June 28
All kick-off times are 7.45pm.
Gabri Veiga
The Celta Vigo midfielder emerged as one of the most exciting young talents in La Liga last time with Real Madrid one of a handful of clubs reportedly taking an interest.
Newcastle and Arsenal have also been tentatively linked but the interest from Liverpool is genuine, it is understood. He is one several being assessed at present and with a release clause believed to be around the £34m mark, he could be a relatively low-cost and exciting option to bolt on to more experienced arrivals like Alexis Mac Allister.
Veiga left his agency in April to sign terms with the influential Pini Zahavi, leading to much speculation that he was paving the way for a summer exit from Celta. A goalscoring creator who registered 11 goals and four assists last term, the Spain Under-21 international is an intriguing option and having established a partnership with former Reds forward Iago Aspas at Celta, he won't have to look too far to find flattering advice about Anfield, one suspects.
Spain v Romania, June 21
Spain v Croatia, June 24
Spain v Ukraine, June 27
All kick-off times are 7.45pm.
