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Darwin Nunez continues to evolve at Liverpool, with the Uruguayan striker sporting an eye-catching new hairstyle in a meeting with Fulham.

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• South American still searching for consistency
• Acquired by Reds in big-money transfer
• Tweaking his image in top-flight action

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 24-year-old frontman was snapped up by the Reds during the summer of 2022 with the intention of becoming a fearsome No.9 at Anfield. His debut campaign delivered just 15 goals across all competitions, with there clearly room for improvement in his game.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Nunez has been among the goals this season, but he remains infuriatingly inconsistent at times. He is capable of the brilliant and bizarre, and that seemingly extends to his choice of hairstyle as he went for a plaited approach against the Cottagers.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Jurgen Klopp opted to deploy Nunez down the middle against Fulham, with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz filling roles on the flanks. Netherlands international Cody Gakpo has been used as a central frontman this season.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NUNEZ?

  Nunez still has plenty to do if he is to fully justify the faith and funds invested in him, and maybe a change of look – as his flowing locks are tied up – will help to deliver the reversal in fortune that everybody on the red half of Merseyside is crying out for.

Erling Haaland covered himself up from head to toe to beat the cold in Oslo as Norway prepare for a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier.

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• Haaland in Oslo for friendly with Faroe Islands
• Freezing temperatures force forward to put on insulated jackets
• Norway preparing for make-or-break clash against Scotland

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Norwegian has flown to Oslo ahead of the friendly against the Faroe Islands on Thursday. However, the temperature has dropped below freezing in Norway's capital, which has forced the Manchester City forward to cover himself up with multiple insulated jackets and headgear, leaving only his eyes visible.

  The striker shared a selfie on his Instagram story with the emoji of a freezing polar bear to emphasise the chilly conditions.

  @erling.haaland Instagram

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Norway are third in Group A and cannot secure direct qualification for Euro 2024 as Spain and Scotland have already confirmed the two available slots. However, Haaland & Co can still make it out of the group and seal their place in Germany via the playoff route which will be contested in March 2024.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The City striker heads into this match on the back of scoring a brace against Chelsea last weekend in a 4-4 draw. Moreover, he has already scored six goals in the current qualifying campaign for Norway and Stale Solbakken will once again look to his star goalscorer to deliver the goods in the next two fixtures.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND?

  Haaland will have the opportunity to fine-tune his chemistry with his international team-mates against the Faroe Islands on Thursday before taking on Scotland at Hampden Park on Sunday.

Aston Villa must land Chelsea and England star Tammy Abraham this summer amid a major transfer update.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have linked Dean Smith’s side with a move for the £50,000-a-week striker in this summer transfer window, and there has now been an update on the club’s pursuit.

According to The Daily Mirror, Villa are ready to spend £40m to bring Abraham to Villa Park, with the 23-year-old striker being told he is free to leave Chelsea as he doesn’t feature in Thomas Tuchel’s long-term plans at Stamford Bridge.

Fans will be buzzing

Given the impressive time he had at Villa Park in his first spell at the club, fans would surely be buzzing at the prospect of Abraham arriving on a permanent deal this summer. The England international bagged a whopping 26 goals in 40 games in the Championship back in 2018/19, as well as chipping in with three assists.

Speaking after he watched him score against Swansea, Smith himself said: “Tammy is a handful and he knows better than me that he should have been walking away with the match ball tonight. But he scored the winning goal, he’s a hell of a talent. Tammy put in a hell of a shift up front on his own and proved he is a fine player.”

As per Sofascore, he is very much someone who does his best work in the penalty area given his heat map, while he won an impressive 57% of his duels in the air last season in the Premier League – to put that in context, another Villa former player Christian Benteke, who is renowned for his aerial ability, won a similar percentage of headers in 2020/21.

Described as “unbelievable” and “phenomenal” throughout his career, Abraham could provide some much-needed competition for Ollie Watkins up top, and given the reaction from numerous Villa fans at the prospect of him joining, it would certainly seem to be a good move for all involved.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a transfer update on this Premier League player Villa are targeting…

Wrexham hope to deliver back-to-back promotions for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but it is a “bit dangerous” to check the table at present.

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• Dragons back in the Football League
• Flying high in the fourth tier
• Wary of getting carried away too early

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Dragons surged back into the Football League in record-breaking style last season as they captured the National League title. Maintaining that momentum was always going to be tricky, especially after seeing star striker Paul Mullin pick up an untimely injury over the summer, and Phil Parkinson’s side initially found it difficult to plug defensive leaks in 2023-24.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  They continue to be involved in the most dramatic of fourth tier fixtures, with every game they play seemingly delivering moments of heart-stopping tension, but ability to dig deep when required has left them third in the table through 15 fixtures.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  That would be enough to deliver automatic promotion if Wrexham can maintain, or improve on their current standing, but Steve Parkin is reluctant to read too much into things at this stage. Parkinson’s right-hand man has said: “The key thing is just to keep in touch with everybody who is up there and make sure that you are not too far adrift at any stage of the season. It is nice to be right up there but it is just one game at a time. I know it is an old cliche but it has got to be that way. Looking at the league table at this time of year is a little bit dangerous. The most important thing for us is to make sure we apply ourselves at the weekend.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Wrexham will be running into familiar foes when they next take to the field, with the Welsh outfit readying themselves for a trip to Notts County on Saturday – the side that pushed them so close in a thrilling title race last term before Reynolds and McElhenney were freed to fund a celebratory trip to Las Vegas.

The FA is reportedly 'disappointed' at Jermaine Jenas for calling a referee a "sh*thouse" after fronting a campaign against the abuse of officials.

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• Ex-Spurs star unhappy with penalty call
• Aired his frustration against VAR review
• Supposedly opposed to such behaviour

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Tottenham midfielder made that comment on X (formerly Twitter) during Spurs’ north London derby clash with Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. Jenas was responding to the decision to award the Gunners a second-half penalty for a supposed handball offence by Cristian Romero – with a long VAR review taking place before Robert Jones eventually pointed to the spot. Jenas posted on social media: “Complete sh*thouse of a referee! They’re all ruining our game!”

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Jenas is a presenter on The One Show for the BBC and often features as a pundit on Match of the Day. He added after attracting criticism for his post: “It’ll happen to Arsenal at some point this year! If it takes that long after watching it over and over… then it’s not a pen.” He did, however, stop short of deleting his original post.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Jenas was chosen back in August to lead the ‘Love Football, Protect The Game’ campaign organised by the FA, Premier League, EFL and PFA – with a video produced in which he said: “Whether out on the pitch, in the stands or on the sidelines, we have all got to do better at all levels. No more surrounding refs, no more abuse. Let’s make sure that this season is different. Let’s protect the game.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  reports that the FA are disappointed at Jenas’ online actions, while the chief executive of the Ref Support UK charity has said: “This was really disgraceful by Jermaine Jenas. One week he is being paid by the FA and other football bodies to front a campaign against the abuse of referees, the next he is posting abusive messages about a referee. The One Show has even done pieces about online abuse of match officials. I don’t think this adds to the image of the BBC either — it’s totally inappropriate. This kind of thing ends up with what we saw happened to Anthony Taylor last season when his family was harassed at the airport after he was criticised by Jose Mourinho after the Europa League final.”

  It is claimed that the FA would not have used Jenas for their campaign had they known that he was not fully invested in their cause.

After four disappointing years, Frenkie De Jong has found a perfect role at Barcelona, and become one of the world's most effective centre-midfielders

In mid-August, Frenkie de Jong gave an interview to Catalonian publication . In a lengthy chat, he acknowledged that he nearly left Barcelona after a high-profile summer of transfer speculation in 2022. He admitted that he was aware of the criticism he so regularly received in his first few years at the club. But, crucially, he made it clear that he doesn't ever want to play anywhere else.

De Jong is certainly saying these things because he wants a new contract – something Barca are reportedly willing to offer. But there is certainly some sincerity to his claims, too.

De Jong's four years at Camp Nou haven't gone exactly according to plan. He cost the Blaugrana €75 million (£65m/$85m) and looked like an imperfect fit from day one.

At first, he was being asked to fill a role he wasn't made for. Then, he underperformed at a spot that seemed to suit him the most. He was almost sold to Manchester United at least once. But now, thanks to a number of tactical switches, and uncharacteristic patience from those in the front office, De Jong has come into his own.

The former Ajax midfielder has always possessed a unique skillset, one that had for some time needed a manager to set up a system that could maximise it. Xavi has done just that, turning De Jong into an indispensable part of a Barca side, a player who fills a niche role for a winning team, certainly worth every single penny of the exorbitant fee Barca paid for his services in 2019.

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  A rocky start to his career

  De Jong's Barcelona tenure wasn't supposed to be this tumultuous. When the Dutchman first arrived, he was a buzzing presence ready to lead Barcelona into the post-Sergio Busquets era.

  He had just starred for an exciting Ajax team that had come within a miraculous Lucas Moura goal of reaching the 2019 Champions League final. De Jone was the maestro at the heart of a remarkable run, a then-21-year-old who pivoted, sliced, and pirouetted his way through Real Madrid's midfield in the last 16.

  The price tag seemed hefty – De Jong had only really had one outstanding season in an Ajax shirt – but the Blaugrana had been after him for over a year. This was, of course, the old Barcelona, the free-spending, use-the-company-credit-card machine that knew no budgetary constraints. Besides, €75m looked tame compared to the €160m (£142m/$176m) willingly had splurged on Philippe Coutinho just a few months before.

  De Jong, in return, appeared ecstatic. There has long been a connection – familial and tactical – between Ajax and Barcelona. That Cruyffian link is perhaps one of the good unifying things in football. And De Jong was just the latest to embrace it.

  “I am very happy to be here finally. As a child, it was a dream for me to play at Barca, and now I’m here, so it’s great. I’m really looking forward to setting foot on the Camp Nou pitch for the first time," the Dutchman asserted upon his arrival.

  It became clear fairly quickly that this iteration of Barcelona wasn't the idealistic one he had mused about in his pre-season media duties. Although De Jong appeared to be a solid signing, the rest of Barca's summer signings were erratic – and expensive.

  The arrival of unproven Brazilian Malcom for €41m (£36m/$43m), and puzzling acquisition of Antoine Griezmann for€120m (£100m/$130m), painted a picture of a team lacking in direction.

  Manager Ernesto Valverde had the Blaugrana playing well, but was sacked in January 2020 after losing in the Spanish Super Cup. Underwhelming option Quique Setien took his place and fared worse than his predecessor.

  The obvious sense of coherent thinking at the very highest level of the club culminated in an infamous 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. De Jong was part of a Barca midfield torn apart by the Bavarians, and played all 90 minutes as his side suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats in the club's history. Setien was quickly dismissed – and took legal action against the club for unlawful termination of his contract.

  This was not the Barcelona that De Jong had been promised.

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  The Man United saga

  And things didn't get much better from there. Barcelona endured two miserable seasons, seeing club legend Lionel Messi leave, falling into financial ruin, and experiencing very little on-field success. Summer 2022 was supposed to represent something of a turnaround, with some shrewd transfer business – backed by risk financial transactions – poised to put the Blaugrana back on track. But for Barca, that meant sacrificing De Jong.

  Xavi wasn't particularly subtle in his efforts to drive De Jong out of Catalunya in July of 2022. The manager did everything possible to ensure that the midfielder didn't play in his natural position during Barca's summer tour of the US.

  In fact, De Jong spent most of their preseason awkwardly stationed at centre-back, even starting a Clasico there, which led to him awkwardly stumbling through space as Real Madrid's attack surged into the Barca defensive third.

  It was a message of sorts. Not only would De Jong not be a guaranteed starter for his third season in Catalunya; he would also have to play an unfamiliar position, one that his manager knew he wasn't the right fit for.

  But De Jong refused to heed the warning. He reportedly turned down a move to Manchester United – despite cash-strapped Barca's numerous efforts to get rid of him – and vowed to fight for his spot in the side.

  His decision baffled many around the club, and although Joan Laporta later insisted that De Jong was never going to be sold, the fact that Barca accepted a hefty bid for his services showed that they were more than willing to let him go for the right fee.

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  The turnaround

  The numbers suggest that De Jong had been consistently improving for a few years by the time he spurned United's interest. His pass completion, ball recovery and interception numbers all improved in 2021, and held steady in 2022. Although his exact role was up for debate – and linked to a perceived positional clash with Sergio Busquets – there was, statistically at least, hope that De Jong could develop at Camp Nou.

  He was, of course, not helped by the club's reputation. Learning curves are not allowed for senior players at Barcelona. Those who are not good enough are either exiled or sold. At times it was De Jong's price tag, not performance, keeping him in the side.

  Xavi's tactical adaptations, though, stirred something in the player. The manager had long asserted that De Jong could be a world-class talent, and set up a system to get the best out of him.

  There had long been a fascination with deploying De Jong as a deep-lying playmaker for his team – operating, effectively, as a long-term replacement for Busquets. But De Jong was never really going to be that player. Barca, Xavi realised, needed a more physical presence in the role.

  Instead, he carved out a new position for De Jong. The midfielder had thrived as part of a deep-lying duo at Ajax, functioning best with a more natural defensive presence alongside him. De Jong, in turn, would be the all-action option, someone to dominate the middle third of the pitch and rarely venture further forward – more Luka Modric than Busquets.

  So, Xavi tinkered with the system, asking De Jong to start from a deeper position on the left, while relying on the attacking prowess of left-back Ajelandro Balde and advanced midfielder Gavi to do the damage in the final third. Busquets, meanwhile, was deployed to his right, and asked to dribble less, tackle more, and, crucially, get the ball to De Jong as much as possible.

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  A Culer for life?

  The result was De Jong's best season in blue and red so far. He didn't score or assist at a prolific rate. But he didn't have to. The numbers paint a picture of De Jong becoming very good at the crucial skills of a box-to-box midfielder.

  Fundamentally, he received the ball a lot, and almost always looked to pass forward. He completed his most progressive passes in a season since his final year at Ajax – and did so more efficiently than at any other point in his career. His progressive carrying numbers – a metric of how often a player successfully dribbles forwards – were up, too. And, perhaps most importantly, he retained the ball at a higher rate.

  Such a combination of ball retention and passing prowess is a skillset reserved for very few players in world football. Arguably only Modric does it better – or with more elegance. And perhaps that is now what will come to define De Jong's Barcelona career.

  For four years, he was an interesting player with a unique skillset – but no real space to showcase it in a winning team. Now, he has been utilised perfectly in a successful system. Xavi has, effectively, created a 'De Jong' role.

  Perhaps he will be allowed to thrive there. At Ajax, De Jong was the next great box-to-box midfielder from a country that had produced countless talents.

  Barcelona spent a handful of years trying – and failing – to get him back to his former self. Now, they have accepted that he can function as something else altogether. And that is where the real value is found, where a replaceable player becomes undroppable.

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, as chairman Steve Parish plots a summer overhaul of his club’s first-team squad.

What’s the story?

Many changes are expected at Selhurst Park over the coming months following Roy Hodgson’s departure, and the 22-year-old could be one of the first arrivals in south London if he does decide to leave Arsenal.

Nketiah found chances limited with his boyhood club last season but has still attracted the attention of several Premier League sides, according to journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Fans will be buzzing

After impressing during several cameo appearances in the second half of the 2019/20 campaign, the England Under-21 international found his chances limited last season.

He was restricted to just four Premier League starts as Mikel Arteta consistently favoured Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette at the top end of the pitch.

Nketiah did manage to bag a respectable six goals in all competitions, though, making decent use of his 29 outings which predominantly came in cup competitions.

His solid displays did enough for the Gunners to offer the £14.4 million rated gem a new contract, but it remains to be seen whether he sees his long-term future at the Emirates Stadium.

Romano reported that West Ham United and Watford are also interested in Nketiah ahead of the upcoming transfer window, whilst Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen are keen to sign him on a permanent deal too.

Although the youngster may not have the experience or prolific goalscoring record to back up his potential just yet, he’s shown glimpses of what he could achieve and a standout performance against Manchester City last year drew praise from Arteta.

“I want him to keep doing what he’s doing. The way he played last night against those players, in those difficult conditions, for me is extraordinary at his age,” said the Spanish tactician.

“He has an immense personality to play, confidence, he’s powerful and is developing in every area I think. I have a lot of faith in him.”

Christian Benteke has put pen to paper on a new two-year deal, yet Michy Batshuayi has rejoined parent club, Chelsea, leaving a big hole in the Eagles’ forward line.

Nketiah could be the perfect man to fill that void, and the Palace faithful will surely be hoping that Parish can get this deal over the line.

And, in other news…Get it done: Parish must sanction CPFC swoop for 19 y/o prodigy, fans will be buzzing 

Manchester City have been rocked by another injury blow after losing Kevin De Bruyne, with John Stones set for a lengthy spell on the treatment table.

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• Defender nursing a muscle complaint
• Yet to figure in competitive game this season
• Ruled out until middle of September

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pep Guardiola has confirmed that England defender Stones will be out of action until after the next international break in September. The 29-year-old is unlikely to be available to the Three Lions for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine and a friendly date with Scotland.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Stones is still struggling with the muscle problem he picked up in pre-season. He has not figured in Premier League victories over Burnley and Newcastle or the UEFA Super Cup penalty shootout triumph against La Liga outfit Sevilla.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Guardiola has said when delivering a fitness update on his squad, with Belgian midfielder De Bruyne having already undergone surgery on a hamstring injury: “We will need everyone for this schedule and calendar. We have to come back how the people (City fans) come back. Stones will not be ready until after the international break.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  The next international break is due to take place between September 4-12, meaning that Stones will sit out meetings with Sheffield United and Fulham. The transfer window is still open if City decide to look for reinforcements, with Guardiola adding: “The club will have to take some important decisions about the squad.”

Writing on Twitter, reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold has dropped a promising Tottenham Hotspur claim involving Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Spurs manager hunt…

Many candidates have been mentioned since Jose Mourinho was sacked by Spurs over a month ago, including the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers.

However, it appears Antonio Conte is now the main candidate – with news very recently emerging that he is now in ongoing talks with Spurs.

The Italian appears to have leapfrogged target Mauricio Pochettino in contention for the job, and reliable correspondent Gold has dropped his own update on the situation.

The Latest: Gold drops enticing Conte claim…

Gold, writing on Twitter, now believes Conte is ‘looking likely’ to become the next Spurs manager and while they ‘pushed hard’ for Pochettino, PSG have fought hard to keep him.

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“Now looking likely that Antonio Conte will become the next Tottenham boss,” he explained on social media.

“Spurs pushed hard to try to bring Mauricio Pochettino back but PSG have fought hard to keep him.

“Conte is one of the top managers in the world and it’s going to be fascinating to see how he will fit into a very different environment at Spurs than he’s previously had elsewhere.

“Conte suddenly becoming a free agent made him a very attractive prospect for Levy, but if he puts pen to paper as expected it’ll be intriguing to see how the two men gel.”

The Verdict: Huge…

This claim arguably comes as a big one amid the managerial merry-go-round.

Spurs now appearing to miss out on Pochettino comes as disappointing, but luckily, it appears they have a more than capable alternative in four-time Serie A winning boss Conte.

The 51-year-old comes a potentially prestigious appointment if they can get a deal done but it will be interesting to see whether he will be backed by chairman Daniel Levy.

In other news: ‘Wowww’, ‘No way’…Spurs fans flock to development, find out more here.

Jurgen Klopp is spoiled for choice from an offensive perspective, but the defence desperately requires strengthening ahead of the 2023-24 campaign

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted on the eve of Wednesday's friendly with Bayern Munich that "it's no secret that we're still looking for new players to join us" – and the priority right now is wrapping up a deal for Romeo Lavia.

And that's perfectly understandable. Following the shock sales of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Pro League clubs, Liverpool have only one remaining No.6 on their books – 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic, who has only just returned from the injury that prematurely ended his 2022-23 campaign. The Reds simply cannot go into the new season, which gets underway next week, without at least one more defensive midfielder.

The Lavia deal is also a matter of urgency because Chelsea remain very interested in the Southampton starlet and are being frustrated by Brighton in their attempts to sign Moises Caicedo. It is only right, then, that Liverpool are primarily focused on agreeing a fee for Lavia as soon as possible.

However, the Reds are also facing a race against time to bring in a new centre-back – preferably one that can play on the left-hand side – before their Premier League opener at Chelsea on August 13.

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  Liverpool can't get burned again at the back

  Few clubs are more acutely aware of the need for defensive strength in depth, given the way in which Liverpool's Premier League title defence in 2020-21 was completely undermined by injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

  Even with most of their central defenders fully fit last season, Liverpool looked dreadfully vulnerable at the back, conceding 47 goals in the Premier League alone.

  Obviously, that poor defensive record was significantly impacted by the struggles of several midfielders, particularly Fabinho, the man regarded as Liverpool's lighthouse because of the way in which he had been dealing with danger for the previous four seasons. So, the acquisition of a highly promising player like Lavia should, in theory, alleviate Liverpool's defensive issues.

  Signing another centre-back is just as important, though, and the problem is that several of the players previously under consideration are no longer available.

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  Several targets no longer on the market

  Kim Min-jae, for example, has been snapped up by Bayern Munich, who activated the €50 million (£43m/$55m) buy-out clause in the South Korean's contract after his stellar season at Napoli. Arsenal, meanwhile, moved just as quickly to sign the wonderfully versatile Jurrien Timber from Ajax.

  Levi Colwill is still technically obtainable, but the England Under-21 international has agreed a new, long-term contract with Chelsea, who have also thus far resisted all attempts by Brighton to make the Blues academy product a part of a deal for Caicedo. Colwill would have been a dream signing for Liverpool – but there is no longer any chance of it becoming a reality.

  In addition, Josko Gvardiol, arguably the best young centre-back in the world and a former transfer target of Liverpool's, is apparently keen to sign for Manchester City. The only issue there is RB Leipzig are refusing to lower their €100 million (£86m/$110m) asking price. It's difficult, therefore, to imagine Liverpool being in a position to hijack that particular deal, much as Klopp would dearly love to add the Croatian to his back-line.

  So, what options do Liverpool have left available to them, with less than a month to go before the transfer window closes? GOAL runs through the leading contenders below…

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  Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)

  Still only 21 years of age but Liverpool scouts spent plenty of time watching January signing from PSV Cody Gakpo during the first half of last season and were very impressed with Branthwaite's performances during his loan spell in Eindhoven.

  However, Everton would obviously do everything within their power to prevent Branthwaite, who can also play at left-back, becoming the first player to cross Stanley Park since Abel Xavier just over 20 years ago.

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  Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)

  Guehi favours his right foot but he has been regularly deployed on the left-hand side of the Crystal Palace defence, making him a viable option for Liverpool. He is, after all, a proven Premier League talent with four England caps to his name who has been previously linked with Arsenal.

  However, Crystal Palace are under no pressure to sell a very valuable asset who still has three years remaining on his current contract. It would take a massive bid to even get the Eagles to the negotiating table.