Liverpool have had an initial bid of £9m rejected for Real Betis central defender Aissa Mandi, however, they have learned a bid of £10.8m could see them land their man, as per a report in the Daily Mirror.
The Premier League champions, who are in the market for a new defensive option after the departure of Dejan Lovren, have been linked with numerous potential targets in recent weeks but it seems they have their sights firmly set on the option of Mandi.
The 28-year-old Algerian has just a year left on his deal with the La Liga club and looks certain to be offloaded this summer.
Mandi has a €30m (£28 million) release clause in his contract, although with just a year left to runm it is believed Betis will allow their man to leave for a reduced fee.
Liverpool’s transfer guru Michael Edwards, made famous for his almost immaculate record since taking up his role, is said to be finalising this latest deal and the transfer could soon be wrapped up.
Mandi, who has been capped 55 times by Algeria, played 30 La Liga games last season as Betis finished 15th, and was also part of the squad that took the club to the Europa League in recent seasons.
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The Reds need for a central defender could increase should PSG’s rumoured interest in current third choice Joel Matip come to fruition. As things stand, Jurgen Klopp only has three experienced central defensive options at his disposal and it seems certain that he will look to add another before the new season. Mandi could be the man to fill the void.
