Liverpool are racing to sign Ozan Kabak on loan before tonight's 11pm transfer deadline. 

It's no secret that the Premier League champions are light on bodies at the back due to an ongoing injury crisis and while they appear to be well on track to sign Preston's Ben Davies, it seems another defender could come in before the close of the window.

Sky Sports News (10:21am) are reporting that they hope to sign Schalke's young 20-year-old centre-back on loan with an option to buy, paying an initial fee of around £2.5m.

It's said that Kabak was on the club's radar during the summer and is a long-term target for the Merseysiders, who are clearly desperate to address their centre-back shortage midway through their Premier League title defence. 

However, Schalke will only let Kabak leave without signing a replacement first. The transfer window in Germany closes at 5pm. 

GIVEMESPORT's Christy Malyan says...

This would be something close to an ideal solution to Liverpool's biggest problem. 

The Reds' interest in Ben Davies shows they've reached a stage where simply getting bodies in is of far greater importance than waiting around for the right player.  

Kabak, however, is a long-standing target of the Anfield outfit and at just 20 years of age is clearly a defender of some noteworthy potential. He's already a full international for Turkey and has established himself in Schalke's first team squad. 

Liverpool could now secure what's essentially a try-before-you-buy scenario - they can take a closer look at Kabak on loan while boosting their squad's depth, before deciding whether he's got what it takes to be a permanent addition. 

It seems like the best result Liverpool could've hoped for heading into a problematic deadline day, although there's no guarantee the deal will be done just yet.