Liverpool are "clearly ahead" of rivals Chelsea in the race to sign a "magnificent" player in the summer transfer window.
Kerkez to join Liverpool this week
The Reds have now officially signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a British-record £116m move, in a piece of business that has made the rest of Europe sit up and take notice.
There is unlikely to be a bigger signing made this summer, with Wirtz considered one of the world's top attacking players, but Liverpool are not expected to be done there, still planning on adding fresh faces to the squad.
Wirtz-Liverpool-Bayer
It looks as though Milos Kerkez will be the next name through the door at Anfield in the coming days, with journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming over the weekend that a minor issue has been ironed out and that he could be unveiled as soon as Tuesday.
David Ornstein of The Athletic has gone one better, however, saying that a medical is now expected to be done on Monday after flying into the UK, with the deal set to be worth £40m for the Bournemouth left-back.
Liverpool leading race to sign "magnificent" ace
Now, reliable Sky Sports journalist Sacha Tavolieri [via Sport Witness] has said that Liverpool are "clearly ahead" of Chelsea and others in the battle to sign Lyon winger Malick Fofana this summer.
He states that the Reds' head of recruitment, Barry Hunter, admires the 20-year-old and has him at the top of his list of summer targets. The Premier League champions will need to sell Federico Chiesa first, though, and Fofana could possibly cost as much as £60m.
Lyon's Malick Fofana
Fofana could be a brilliant long-term signing for Liverpool, with scout Jacek Kulig describing him as a "magnificent" prospect last year.
At just 20 years of age, the young Belgian has already bagged 22 goal contributions (15 goals and seven assists) in 62 appearances for Lyon, also winning one cap for Belgium at senior level, and those numbers should only improve as he matures as a player.
Predominantly a left-sided attacking player, it seems slightly strange that Liverpool would push so hard for Fofana, though, especially as Chiesa is right-sided in general.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi Related
[Better than Guehi: Liverpool eyeing one of the best young CBs "in Europe"](https://www.footballfancast.com/better-than-guehi-liverpool-now-eyeing-castello-lukeba/ "Better than Guehi: Liverpool eyeing one of the best young CBs "in Europe"")
Liverpool are looking to bolster their backline with Marc Guehi touted.
Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo appear to be staying put, so it would arguably only make sense for the Reds to sign the Lyon ace if one of them moves on, or if Arne Slot sees him as a backup option to Mohamed Salah on the right. But his talent is undeniable, so the idea of him in a Liverpool shirt is exciting.