Fabrizio Romano has appraised Liverpool’s chances of making a surprise transfer window raid to sign Ousmane Diomande, providing a concise update on their links to the £69 million-rated Sporting Lisbon defender.

Jurgen Klopp spent the summer reconstructing his midfield, signing four new players for a total of £145.2 million. However, in replacing the six departing players, Alexis MacAllister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, and Wataru Endo have breathed new life into Liverpool’s midfield.

Indeed, the Merseysiders now lead the Premier League by five points and may clinch their place in the Carabao Cup final this week if they can hold off a Fulham comeback in the second leg of their semi-final at Craven Cottage.

With the Reds still in the FA Cup and Europa League, Klopp and his team are in for an exciting finish to the 2023/24 season.

To improve their prospects of winning trophies, Klopp is expected to use the January window to strengthen his squad in a variety of areas.

To that aim, Liverpool is reportedly interested in adding another midfielder in the form of a highly gifted Atalata player valued at €45 million.

However, popular rumors suggest Klopp’s transfer focus this year will shift to his defenders, with Joel Matip suffering a season-ending ACL injury and entering the final months of his Anfield contract.

And, while Virgil van Dijk is back to his imperious best, Klopp knows the Dutchman cannot last forever, having turned 33 this summer.

With that in mind, Liverpool has shifted its attention to the next generation of elite defenders.

Liverpool linked with three center defenders.

The Reds have already been connected with Goncalo Inacio and Leny Yoro as they look to strengthen their defence.

Lille teenager Yoro is already valued at €80 million (£69 million), with reports in Spain on Monday indicating that PSG were willing to match their Ligue 1 rivals’ asking price for the 18-year-old.

Inacio, meanwhile, appears to be slightly more cheap given his €60 million (£51.3 million) exit clause, though Sporting is aggressively attempting to lock the 22-year-old down to a new contract, which would increase his release fee even more.

This season, however, his central defense partner Diomande’s form has caught the most attention.

The Ivorian joined Sporting in January for a bargain €7.5 million from Midtjylland and has since enjoyed a quick ascent.

Diomande, who is now widely considered as one of Europe’s greatest in his position, has recently been linked with Newcastle, Arsenal, and Chelsea.

However, according to rumors in Portugal, Liverpool is planning a late bid for the player, who appears to be Klopp’s ideal long-term replacement for Van Dijk.

Klopp’s interest in Ousmane Diomande prompts Fabrizio Romano’s response.In response to the gossip, transfer analyst Romano has tipped his hat to the young Sporting star, but claims in his Caught Offside column that he has not heard anything about the Reds’ January proposal.

“Diomande is an excellent centre back who could fit in with any club.” But, despite the links with Liverpool, I’m not aware of any current movement around Diomande,” Romano remarked.

“He’s been connected with ten clubs, but there’s nothing substantial on Sporting’s schedule thus far.

At just 20 years old, Diomande already has a €80 million (£69 million) departure clause in his contract, and it won’t be long until Sporting has to turn down major offers for the Ivory Coast international.