Liverpool have received two major boosts in their potential bid to land PSG's wantaway star Kylian Mbappe this season.
The forward is so keen to leave Paris as soon as possible, he is now considering buying out his own contract – despite putting pen to paper on a new two-year deal this summer.
The news will be met with delight in Merseyside, where the Reds had been preparing the possibility of renewed PSG interest in Mohamed Salah as part of a move for Mbappe.
According to French sport newspaper L'Equipe, Mbappe is mulling paying out on his £650,000-a-week in January, which would make him a free agent.
The relationship between player and club has broken down dramatically, with Mbappe believing that PSG have reneged on a series of promises that were made to him.
Most of Liverpool's major signings in recent years have been funded by big departures – as FourFourTwo's Mark White pointed out this week, "Virgil van Dijk's transfer was famously funded on the nine-figure exit of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona, while Darwin Nunez's arrival this summer was partly facilitated by Sadio Mané leaving to Bayern Munich."
The prospect of landing one of the world's biggest stars on a free transfer would be possibility that the club could barely afford to turn down, following a stuttering start to the season.
Liverpool could well be Mbappe's only potential destination, bizarrely. Having done a last-minute u-turn on a decision to join Real Madrid earlier this year, the Spanish giants are apparently no longer interested in his signature. According to ESPN, Madrid are keen to avoid the embarrassment of being led down the garden path again.
This could leave Jurgen Klopp's side as the only suitors for Mbappe.
However, La Liga president Javier Tebas has talked up the likelihood of Real Madrid reigniting their interest.
"I can see it's difficult for the club because it hurts what he did to Madrid in the summer," he said. "But I don't think fans are going to say no to adding such a player to their squad. If Mbappe comes, he will be applauded, cheered, followed."
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Liverpool continue to be linked with a move for Jude Bellingham, with a deal now potentially more likely after Bayern Munich ruled themselves out of signing the Borussia Dortmund and England star. It's also been reported that they're keeping tabs on Bayern and Germany hotshot Jamal Musiala.
In other transfer news, the Reds are said to be interested in an MLS wonderkid and a striker dubbed 'the next Erling Haaland'.
Meanwhile, in an effort to get his struggling side clicking again, Jurgen Klopp has made quite a radical tactical change: could 4-4-2 be the way forward for Liverpool?
