Liverpool will complete the signing of Ozan Kabak on the day of the transfer deadline.
The Reds were in the market for a defender after Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez suffered long-term injuries early in the season and Jürgen Klopp ran out of options.
An injury to Fabinho has further limited his options, leaving the Premier League champions with no choice but to enter the transfer market.
Liverpool have been linked to a number of players but as of the deadline they appear to have picked one in Schalke’s Ozan Kabak.
The deal will be on loan initially, with an option to purchase £ 22m at the end of this season.
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Liverpool could have had another player much closer to home, however.
Shkodran Mustafi is out of contract this summer and Arsenal are ready to terminate his contract to get him off the books. Liverpool came with a late move for the German but that won’t happen.
However, Mustafi still plays a role.
Schalke are not ready to let Kabak leave for Liverpool until a substitute is available. Step forward Mustafi who will be that replacement.
And some Liverpool fans believe it was all down to their transfer guru Michael Edwards.
Mustafi’s connections to Liverpool have been interesting, if a little odd, and the theory, as you can see above, is that Edwards instigated them to keep Schalke interested.
Both contracts are expected to be concluded before the deadline. However, if Mustafi’s contract is not terminated, Schalke Mustafi must sign before 5 p.m. when the Bundesliga transfer window is closed.
