Manu Kone of Borussia Monchengladbach has been linked to Liverpool in recent days.
Fabrizio Romano revealed on Twitter lately that the Reds were among the clubs interested in the midfielder.
Along with Liverpool, Newcastle United, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested.
Romano made it clear that Jude Bellingham remains the top priority for Liverpool.
Nonetheless, the Reds appear to have backup transfer plans in case they don’t land the England international.
And Kone, one of Gladbach’s top players, seems to be in Liverpool’s sights.
Kone has impressed following his move to the Bundesliga side two years ago.
The 21-year-old has made 15 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring once.
Kone is one of the best-performing players in Europe’s top leagues when it comes to dribbling, according to FBRef.
He is excellent at progressing the ball and often joins in play in the final third of the pitch.
The £ 30 million-rated talent has also won three caps for France’s Under-21s.
‘Very good passer’
Scouting website Breaking the Lines wrote a comprehensive report on Kone in June, in which they sang his praises.
‘Kone has been one of the most impressive players in the Bundesliga this season, showcasing his versatility, athleticism, and technical ability’, they wrote.
‘Standing at 6’1”, Kone is an imposing figure in midfield, but he also possesses great speed and agility.
‘This allows him to cover a lot of ground on the pitch and make an impact both defensively and offensively.
‘In addition, Kone is a very good passer of the ball and has an excellent work ethic.
‘These qualities have helped him quickly establish himself as one of the best young midfielders in the Bundesliga.
‘It will be interesting to see how he develops. But there is no doubt that he has a bright future ahead of him.’
Further down in the article, they compared Kone’s style of play to that of Yves Bissouma and even suggested Manchester United should’ve moved for him.
‘If the sought-after youngster was to be likened to a current Premier League midfielder, it would be Yves Bissouma (formerly) of Brighton,’ they added.
‘The two are similar in many aspects of their game. While Bissouma is slightly more effective in the defensive department, Kone’s dribbling skills are highlighted.
‘It could be argued that Manchester United should seriously consider signing him as opposed to spending a fortune on Frenkie De Jong as the current speculation suggests.’
On Twitter, fans have also compared Kone to Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.
