Liverpool journalist Emmet Gates believes the club could sign AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni next summer.
The midfielder has emerged as a genuine star in Ligue 1 and appears destined to eventually make the move to an elite club.
What's the latest with Liverpool?
The Reds have been in excellent form of late and are unbeaten in nine games in all competitions.
They drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend and are currently three points behind leaders Manchester City.
However, they are facing a headache in January, with the potential for both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to leave Anfield and play for Egypt and Senegal respectively at the African Cup of Nations.
It remains to be seen how they will cope without two of their best players and they may well look to replace them in the transfer window, or potentially bring the likes of Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino into the starting XI.
Liverpool have been linked with a swoop for Tchouameni, along with Chelsea and Manchester United, as he continues to develop at Monaco.
He has been with the club since 2020, when he joined from Ligue 1 rivals Bordeaux.
Since then, he has gone on to make 71 appearances for the club and is capable of playing as both a defensive midfielder and a central midfielder.
Tchouameni is also a full France international, having won seven caps for the current World Cup holders.
And Gates believes that he could become a proper target for the Reds next summer.
What did Gates say?
He told GiveMeSport: “I think in the summer, for next season. He’s dynamic, strong, powerful, box to box, good technically.”
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How good is he?
Tchouameni is putting up some genuinely remarkable numbers at Monaco.
FBref shows that this is a genuinely exceptional midfielder already and he has so much potential to fulfil too.
Per the stats website, he makes 3.97 tackles per game, wins 2.52 aerial duels, and makes 2.79 interceptions. All of those numbers place him in the top 10 per cent of midfielders in Europe's top five leagues.
He is also in the top 11% for total shots on goal, while he is in the top 25% for progressive passes.
Per the website, Tchouamei can be compared statistically to Juventus' Adrien Rabiot and Real Madrid's Casemiro, two midfielders who have reached the top of the game.
He's valued at £36m by Transfermarkt and has a contract until 2024 but he certainly looks as though he would be worth every single penny.