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Liverpool will be keen to hit the ground running in the transfer market after appointing Andoni Iraola as their new manager last week.
The Reds sacked Arne Slot following a disappointing season in which they finished fifth in the Premier League and failed to win a trophy, with Iraola tasked with ensuring that Liverpool can compete for major honours next term.
The former Bournemouth boss already knows he will be without departing stars Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson when the squad returns for pre-season and the process of giving him a squad to challenge on all fronts is already underway.
Liverpool stunned by surprise development in pursuit of transfer target
Liverpool spent almost £500m last summer as they sought to consolidate their position at the top of English football following their 2024/25 Premier League title triumph, but several star signings including Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz endured underwhelming campaigns.
This time around, the Anfield club were confident of wrapping up a lower-profile deal early in the window - but it appears they are set to be disappointed.
Liverpool have spent the past few weeks working on a deal to sign 16-year-old Hertha Berlin midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, who has a release clause reportedly worth €8-9m (roughly £7-7.5m).
The club believed they had made 'significant progress' in winning the race for the Germany Under 17 international, who was also a target for Manchester City and Chelsea, but TEAMtalk's Graeme Bailey claims that the teenager has rejected the Reds.
“Sources indicate the Reds were increasingly confident they could convince Eichhorn to choose Anfield, with the club’s track record of developing young players viewed as a major attraction," he said.
“However, TEAMtalk understands all interested Premier League clubs have now been informed that the midfielder will not be moving to England at this stage of his career.”
Defensive midfielder Eichhorn made 19 appearances for Bundesliga 2 side Hertha last season and now looks set to step up to Germany's top tier.
RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund were also competing for his signature but Eichhorn is set to join 2024 Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen instead, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.
"Eichhorn was being pursued by top clubs in Germany and England but chose to continue his career with the 2024 Bundesliga champions," wrote Ornstein. "Given the strength of interest from elsewhere, few tipped Leverkusen to win the race for Eichhorn and many will regard this as a significant coup."
It comes after another Liverpool transfer target, RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, appeared to suggest he favoured a move to back-to-back European champions Paris Saint-Germain over the Reds.
