Reds Consider German Teen Hailed as Next Gerd Muller - Report
Brendan Rodgers believes Stoke City's Asmir Begovic will be a long-term replacement for Pepe Reina
Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing 16-year-old German Donis Avdijaj from Bundesliga side Schalke 04. The striker has appeared for Die Mannschaft's youth teams, scoring an impressive eight goals in nine appearances for the German U16 and U17 sides.
The Reds already have one talented German youngster in Samed Yesil. The 18-year-old forward signed for the Anfield club in the summer, in one of new manager Brendan Rodgers' quieter transfer deals. However, the fact that Rodgers has given the teenager a four-year contract suggests the club expects a great deal from the youngster.
Meanwhile, The Sun reports the Reds are also interested in Stoke City's Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. The 25-year-old former Portsmouth player signed for the Potters in 2010, despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur. He signed a four-and-half-year contract in December, extending his stay at the Britannia Stadium to 2016. Begovic is highly rated by Stoke manager Tony Pulis.
"In Asmir, I believe we have the best young goalkeeper in England who has shown his great potential since he came to the club and he certainly has a big part to play in our future as we look to continue the progress we have made," Pulis explained when announcing the new contract.
At present, Spanish international Pepe Reina and Australian Brad Jones are vying for the Liverpool goalkeeper's shirt. However, the future of the Australian international is uncertain. Jones's contract expires at the end of the season and the club have so far made no attempt to renew the deal. The Reds were strongly linked with a move for French international Hugo Lloris in the summer and with these reports of interest in Begovic, it seems likely that Jones's time at Anfield is coming to an end.
The future of Reina is a different matter. The Spaniard is still, arguably, one of the better keepers in the world and is likely to have no shortage of suitors should he decide to move on from Liverpool. The 30-year-old former Barcelona shot stopper signed a six-year contract with the club in 2010, stating both his family and he "love" being in Liverpool.
However, a combination of poor performances and difficulty in adapting to Rodgers' style of play led to speculation he could look to move on. Italian giants AC Milan were linked with a transfer earlier in the season and although the Rossoneri have since signed 19-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper Gabriel and have Christian Abbiati as their No 1, the chance to sign Pepe Reina might be too tempting to resist.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.