Despite impressing during his short stay, Liverpool are set to pass up on the opportunity to sign Ozan Kabak this summer.
Signed on January deadline day in a 6-month loan deal with an option to buy, Kabak looks set to return to Schalke at the end of the month.
David Lynch reports that the club have informed the player of their decision. They will sign RB Leipzig’s Ibrahima Konate instead.
It is somewhat surprising that Liverpool have turned down the chance to sign the Turk. He would have cost the club just £18m.
At just 21-years-old, Kabak looks likely to become a top-class defender. It would have made sense to sign both him and Konate due to how injury-prone Joel Matip is.
However, Liverpool clearly feel that £18m would be better spent in other areas of the squad.
One thing for sure is that Kabak is unlikely to spend next season at Schalke. The Gelsenkirchen side were relegated to Bundesliga II after a horrendous season.
So where will Kabak go?
Leicester have been linked by Sport1, but with Jonny Evans, Wesley Fofana and Caglar Soyuncu at the club, Kabak may not be a regular starter there.
He would be better off elsewhere, so RTK will look at some of the best options for him.
RB Leipzig
This is probably the most obvious shout. RB Leipzig have already lost Dayot Upamecano to Bayern and now look set to lose Konate.
They have already agreed deals to sign Mohamed Simakan and Josko Gvardiol from Strasbourg and Dinamo Zagreb respectively. However, the duo can also play at fullback, so Jesse Marsch may want to bring in a natural centre-half.
Kabak would be perfect. He is young, used to the Bundesliga and, vitally, will have huge sell-on value.
If Leipzig are going to make that step up and actually challenge for the title, they will need players of Kabak’s calibre.
Arsenal/Tottenham Hotspur
Staying in England is certainly a possibility for Kabak.
As mentioned, Leicester have shown an interest. Progressive sides like West Ham and Wolves could also suit.
But a move to North London could be perfect.
Both Arsenal and Tottenham need to sign defensive reinforcements this summer. The Gunners need a partner for Gabriel while Spurs probably need a whole new defensive partnership.
Neither will be playing Champions League football next season. So they may not be able to attract elite players.
What they can do is go for slightly younger players that are on the verge of becoming top-quality. Kabak fits the bill perfectly.
Real Madrid
This may seem like a stretch, but Ozan Kabak is exactly the type of signing that Real Madrid should be making.
Rather than spending stupid money on 27- or 28-year-olds, they should be targeting younger, statistically promising players.
Sergio Ramos is past his best and may actually be on the way out this summer. A departure for Raphael Varane is also a big possibility.
David Alaba is joining from Bayern, but they will need someone else if the duo leaves. Nacho and Eder Militao are solid, but not world-class.
So they will be looking to sign that top-tier player at some stage. But they should try to sign him now on the cheap before spending over the odds a few years down the line.
Kabak is as likely as any 21-year-old centre-back around to become world-class. So go sign him before it’s too late.
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