Liverpool are in direct contact with Crystal Palace over a move for their captain Marc Guehi – and the Premier League leaders are also ready to step up interest in fellow defender Giovanni Leoni, 18, of Parma.
The Premier League champions need at least one back-up defender to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate after Jarell Quansah was sold to Bayer Leverkusen to £35million and fellow centre back Joe Gomez has been injury prone in the last 12 months.
Daily Mail Sport reported in June how Guehi was a person of interest but the clubs were too far apart in their valuations, given the England international has just one year remaining on his contract.