Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ‘keen’ on signing VfL Wolfsburg star Konstantinos Koulierakis, as per Caught Offside.
After moving to Volkswagen Arena from PAOK last year, the 21-year-old displayed glimpses of his qualities in his debut campaign last term, notching up two assists and keeping seven clean sheets in 33 appearances across all competitions.
The Greek has continued to play a key role in the German side’s starting XI this campaign, and Caught Offside state that, having been impressed by the youngster’s recent eye-catching displays, Liverpool are ‘keen’ on purchasing him in January.
The Reds want a new centre-back as a potential replacement for Ibrahima Konate. His current contract will expire at the end of this season, and he has been in talks to leave for free next year, with Bayern Munich showing an interest in him.
However, the report claim that purchasing Koulierakis won’t be straightforward for the Merseyside club as Tottenham are also eager to secure his service to support Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven.
The Lilywhites have been scouting the Greek closely before making a potential swoop, but he isn’t the only name on Thomas Frank’s wishlist, with Jarrad Branthwaite and Eric Garcia also among the targets.
Battle
Koulierakis still has four years left in his current contract, so Wolfsburg don’t want to part ways with him in mid-season, but they could change their stance should they receive an offer of around £35m.
The defender is 6ft 2in tall, comfortable playing out from the back, and is also efficient in defensive contributions. The Reds recently signed Giovanni Leoni from Parma after being impressed by his performances in Serie A, and he showcased his high potential during his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
Unfortunately, he sustained a serious knee injury in the same game and is set to remain sidelined for almost the entirety of this season.
It now appears Liverpool are looking to buy another talented young defender. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club or the Merseyside club eventually make a concrete approach to secure Koulierakis’ service in the upcoming winter transfer window.
