It was a year ago this week that Xabi Alonso ruled himself out of the running to replace Jurgen Klopp in the Liverpool dugout, although the Reds are now hoping to have a bit more luck with raiding Bayer Leverkusen for some of their players.
As Empire of the Kop exclusively revealed today, Anfield chiefs are set to meet with the agents of Jeremie Frimpong as they target the Dutchman as a potential replacement for the seemingly exit-bound Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The 24-year-old isn’t the only member of Alonso’s squad who’s been on Richard Hughes’ radar of late, either.
Liverpool scouts watch Piero Hincapie
According to sources close to Empire of the Kop, Piero Hincapie remains on Liverpool’s transfer list, with the Leverkusen defender also being sought by Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.
Scouts from the Merseyside giants were dispatched to witness the 23-year-old in action during his team’s recent fixtures against Stuttgart and Bayern Munich, and it’ll become clear over the next few weeks whether or not the Reds decide to seriously pursue the Ecuador international.
How did Hincapie perform in front of Liverpool scouts?
In light of this morning’s news that Trent Alexander-Arnold is close to agreeing a free transfer to Real Madrid, a new right-back could take priority over a centre-back addition for Liverpool, with Conor Bradley the only natural senior option on that flank if our vice-captain departs.
Also, with reports from TEAMtalk last August claiming that Leverkusen value Hincapie at €60m (£51.2m), the Ecuadorian certainly won’t come cheap if the Reds are to snare him from the BayArena.
However, LFC’s scouts will likely have been impressed by what they saw of him in the dramatic 4-3 win over Stuttgart earlier this month, when he scored one of his team’s goals and also won four duels, made five clearances and produced a last-man tackle in helping his side to victory (Sofascore).
His agent Manuel Sierra has also heralded some of the defender’s characteristics in an interview with CaughtOffside, describing him as a ‘warrior’ and ‘leader’ who’s ‘one of the best left-sided central defenders in the world’ and also has no shortage of playmaking ability.
The latter boast is borne out in statistics from FBref, with Hincapie featuring among the top 5% of centre-backs in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year with his match averages for expected assists, progressive carries and touches in the opposition penalty area.
The 23-year-old might well have played himself onto Liverpool’s shortlist for prospective recruits in his position. How highly that part of the squad is prioritised this summer could impact the likelihood of a serious pursuit for the player.
