Former RB Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick claims Dayot Upamecano is most likely to join Bayern Munich, acting as a blow to Liverpool.
The Frenchman is one of the most highly-rated young centre-backs in Europe currently, shining for a talented Leipzig side.
Liverpool have been linked with a January move for Upamecano, in order to ease their current defensive crisis, with both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez potentially out for the rest of the season.
The Reds won’t want to hear what Rangnick has had to say on the matter, however.
Speaking to Sport1, the 62-year-old said Bayern looks the best option for the £54million-rated defender:
Why not? Bayern know this player well; you can assume that. Physically, Bayern saw that in direct duels, no one will run away from him.
He might still have one or two risky balls too many in a game, but he will certainly learn in the next few years.
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Rangnick’s comments may not be ideal from a Liverpool perspective, but it shouldn’t be treated like the end of the world.
There are other strong candidates out there for the Reds to potentially sign in January, including Schalke’s Ozan Kabak, who has been continually linked with a move to Anfield.
There are even reports that Jurgen Klopp is happy with his current squad and will not buy in January, suggesting he will trust the likes of Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams from this point onwards.
If that is the case, it is a risky strategy, but Klopp deserves to be trusted in the transfer market, given the outstanding work he has done in it.
