Liverpool are tinkering away as they prepare for the start of the 22/23 Premier League season in under two weeks, with a shock update arising for a former target.
Who are Liverpool signing this summer?
According to Spanish reports, Jurgen Klopp's Reds are still in with a shout for RB Leipzig central defender Josko Gvardiol, who has been the centrepiece of a transfer saga with Manchester City.
The fresh news from Spain claims that the Croatian, who is valued at no small sum of £85m, could possibly be hijacked over the coming weeks with his prospective move to the Etihad Stadium stagnating.
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Liverpool are joined by Chelsea and Manchester United in having submitted offers for the defender, and while the Citizens remain favourites, this is perhaps a deal to keep an eye on.
How good is Josko Gvardiol?
Those who know Gvardiol best are starting to run out of superlatives to describe the 21-year-old prodigy, who has excelled for club and country of late and looks poised for a career right at the very top of the game.
He would be a credit to any team in world football, having made 87 appearances for his Bundesliga outfit, winning successive DFB Pokals, and being heralded as a "Rolls-Royce" by journalist Zach Lowy.
Partner this with a third place finish in the 2022 World Cup, and Liverpool would only enrich their ranks with the 6 foot 1 defender's signature.
Given his favoured left foot and first-rate ball-playing skills, he is the dream heir to Virgil van Dijk's position in the Reds system, with the 32-year-old seemingly waning of late and Klopp pursuing a left-sided centre-half this summer.
The Dutchman has been integral to Liverpool's success since signing from Southampton in a £75m deal, winning a wealth of major honours including the Premier League and Champions League, but his imperiousness is not eternal and plans are understandably being made.
Despite this, the £220k-per-week phenom still ranks among the top 12% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 4% for passes attempted, the top 18% for goals and the top 8% for aerials won per 90, as per FBref – the exemplifier of Klopp's ideology.
Gvardiol could slot into the squad as a book slots into a shelf, evidenced by his own ranking among the top 9% for goals, the top 1% for passes attempted, the top 18% for progressive passes and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90, and given his youthful age there is plenty of room for increments to be made as he charts a course to the highest of eminence.
The stumbling block, of course, comes in the form of Pep Guardiola's sensational, treble-winning outfit, who also appear to view Gvardiol as the optimum defensive component to enhance their team, and with the lucrative fee also likely to be a deterrent, it does indeed remain to be seen if Liverpool could actually get this one over the line.
But if they do, Klopp will wield one of the finest talents in European football, a player so great he could mould his backline around the "fearless" titan – as he has been labelled by Rio Ferdinand – for years to come.