Liverpool Join the Race to Sign Real Madrid Midfielder – Report

Liverpool are the latest club to be linked with Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin who has been told that he is no longer in the first team plans of manager Jose Mourinho.

Both Tottenham and Arsenal are believed to have shown an interest in the Turkey international after it became apparent that he was looking to secure a move away from the Spanish champions after just one season.

Sahin would prefer to leave the club on a season-long loan so that he can prove his ability after a season in which he made just four appearances in the league and ten in total.

The 23-year-old struggled to force his way into the plans of Jose Mourinho who instead preferred to use the likes of Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil in the heart of midfield.

Madrid-based newspaper Marca is now reporting that Liverpool could well be a viable option for Sahin as they would be willing to meet the demands of Real which state that he can leave either on a season-long loan or on a permanent deal with a reasonable buy-back clause.

They also state that the relationship between Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho gives the club a slight advantage as the pair worked together at Chelsea for a number of years.

It was in fact Mourinho that selected Rodgers to become the reserve team manager at Chelsea and the two men have kept in touch ever since the Portuguese boss was sacked from the Blues.

It had appeared as though north London would have been the most likely destination for Sahin as Tottenham had wanted to gain the midfielder as part of any deal that saw Luka Modric move to Real Madrid.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was also keen to land the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder but he has today announced the signing of Santi Cazorla from Malaga.

Sahin could well get the most playing time at Liverpool, should Real Madrid choose to allow him to make the move to Anfield, as Rodgers has admitted that he is keen to further strengthen his midfield this summer.