Liverpool face a battle with Manchester City and Juventus in the race to sign Bayern Munich star Thiago Alcantara this summer.
TuttoJuve are reporting that the Serie A giants are considering a bid for the midfielder who is out of contract next summer.
City boss Pep Guardiola, who worked with the Spain international at Barcelona and Bayern. is also ready to make a move.
Former Barcelona star Thiago, seen as one of the world's best midfielders, is keen on a move to England, with the newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool said to be eyeing up a £32million deal for the midfielder this summer.
But ex-Liverpool midfielder Christian Ziege has urged Thiago to stay with his Bundesliga club, saying he wouldn't fit in with Jurgen Klopp's style of play.
Ziege, who played for the Bundesliga side for seven years, feels the Reds target would be better off with Bayern, claiming a Premier League move would not suit him.
Speaking to CaughtOffside, Ziege said he would even recommend a return to LaLiga over a transfer to the English top flight to the 29-year-old, who he called 'a fantastic player'.
'I have to say I love this player,' Ziege said. 'He is a fantastic player but I'm not sure he fits into the Premier League and the Klopp style of playing.
'I think where he is, Bayern Munich, is a good place for him. Or maybe a Spanish team.
'I'm not 100 per cent sure [about him joining Liverpool], although he is a fantastic player so he will handle it somehow. I'm just not 100 per cent sure it's right for him.'
Klopp has this week brushed aside speculation linking his side with Thiago, whose contract with Bayern ends next summer.
'Thiago is a really good player, like a lot of other players out there I like a lot, but that's all I have to say about it.'
As Thiago's contract nears its end, his manager Hansi Flick said he was optimistic he could convince the player to commit his future.
'I'm trying my best to make sure Thiago stays here and that you can convince him to stay,' he said. 'But that's one thing that time will show.
'We still have the Champions League ahead of us now and we have a lot of plans, also together with him.'
Thiago, a product of Barcelona's La Masia academy, has made 231 appearances since joining Bayern from Barcelona in 2013, despite suffering with a host of injury problems since his arrival. This season he has started 25 times and scored three goals, with two assists.