Liverpool have fended off competition from Manchester United to agree a January deal in principle with Red Bull Salzburg for Takumi Minamino, who has a paltry release clause of just £7.25million.
Liverpool’s excellent off-field relationship with Salzburg - their new £50million training base was inspired by their Champions League group opponents - has helped them push past a queue of interest in Minamino, which includes United and several Bundesliga sides.
The player himself had originally expected his next destination to be Germany’s top-tier and given his modest nature, was said to be taken aback that the Premier League leaders were heavily pursuing him.
However Independent senior football correspondent Melissa Reddy believes a deal in principle has already been agreed between the Austrian club and Liverpool for January.