According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool scouts have closely monitored Real Betis left-back Riza Durmisi.
This slot has always been a need for the club yet James Milner’s ability to adapt the unfamiliar role has papered over the urgency to sign. The former Manchester City midfielder’s sheer dedication and work-rate along the left channel have reaped up positive reviews but he is clearly a sticking plaster solution for time being. Milner’s deliveries into the box are not always on the money and in recent matches, the 31-year-old have been showing signs of fatigue.
Durmisi has been an integral part of Real Betis since his £1.7 million transfer from Brondby in the summer. He has made 14 appearances in all competitions for the Spanish side and has all the art of a modern left-back. The 23-year-old possess a healthy blend of speed, trickery and penchant of whipping in dangerous crosses. He also has a knack of scoring from free-kicks and outside of the penalty box. Speaking of set-piece mojo, he almost found the back of the net from a free-kick which rattled off the bar when he played against Liverpool in a pre-season friendly back in 2014.
In other words, he somewhat shares similar shades like former fan-favourite John Arne Riise.
His contract with his current club runs until the end of the 2020/21 season and has a release clause of £17 million.
With Jurgen Klopp adamantly ruling out enforcements in the left-back area, hopes might be peeling away for the fans. As much as he trusts Milner, he too has a soft spot for deputy Alberto Moreno, whose future hang in the balance.
On the other hand, offering Durmisi his favourable spot and deploying Milner as a winger won’t do much harm as the England international made most of his name with Aston Villa and Manchester City along the flanks. A huge gulf in pace might be a barrier but his tendency to work his socks off renders the speed to a non-issue.
Also, the Reds are weighing up a handful of options for a radical overhaul in the summer with Bayer Leverkusen winger Julian Brandt and Eupen’s 19-year-old Nigerian striker Henry Onyekuru being bandied with a switch to Anfield (Daily Mail). The former is highly admired by Klopp as his impressive performances in the German league completely defies his tender age of 20. Yet a number of European big boys are keeping tabs on his situation too.
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