Liverpool really do want to sign 27-year-old forward Pep Guardiola once raved about

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Liverpool have genuine interest in signing one of Pep Guardiola’s former players.

As the January transfer window approaches, the Reds have already been linked with a whole host of players. One of the more surprising names on that list has been Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane.

But despite the surprise, German journalist Christian Falk says Liverpool’s interest in Sane is very real. Writing for The Daily Briefing today, Falk describes the Reds’ desire to bring the 27-year-old to Anfield as ‘concrete.’

“Liverpool’s interest in Leroy Sane is concrete,” Falk reports. “You can compare him to the man he might end up replacing at Anfield in Mo Salah; they both have speed and Sane is certainly younger.

“Bayern Munich are aware of the interest and after the international break they will meet the agents, LIAN Sports Group, to talk about an extension. They really want to keep him and Sane said that Bayern is the first club he will be talking to. His family has arrived in Munich after their new house was built and the player is feeling happy.

“You never know what will happen with such talks. When Sane came to Munich during COVID-19, he was okay with earning €20m a year, but now they will talk about money. It’s always good to have other suitors at the table like Liverpool, but it’s no secret that Barcelona is also quite interested. The big question is whether the Catalan giants have the money! You also have to keep an eye on fellow La Liga outfit Real Madrid who are also interested in him.”

Liverpool looking at Sane

There are plenty of reasons why Liverpool would be interested in Sane. As well as his tremendous form this season, the Germany international has long been one of the brightest left-footed forwards around.

Back when it became clear Sane would leave City in a £55m deal in 2020, Guardiola admitted that he was losing a ‘special’ talent [BBC Sport].

With that praise in mind, it’s no wonder that the Spanish coach would reportedly like to have him back at the Etihad for next season.

Given how good Sane has been at Bayern this season, Liverpool simply can’t allow that to happen. If they’re going after the former Schalke youngster then they should attempt to blow City out of the water.

It would seem that those plans may very well rest on the future of Salah. If Mo ends up staying – as it looks like he might – then there’s no need for Sane to arrive.

Although he would obviously be a brilliant option to have, there’s no use signing him unless he’s intended to be a starter.

With all the rumours currently surrounding Mo, Liverpool have to plan for the eventuality of him leaving. Hopefully it doesn’t happen, but if it does, then Sane is right to be near the top of their list of replacements.

Pep has already told them why their interest should indeed be concrete. Let’s see what happens in those talks with Bayern and go from there.