Liverpool have been sending scouts to keep track of Jamaal Lascelles, according to reports.
Jurgen Klopp is looking for defensive reinforcements, and has already been linked with moves for the likes of Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk.
According to the Sunderland Echo, Liverpool have also been sending scouts to watch Jamaal Lascelles, with Jurgen Klopp eyeing up a move for the Newcastle centre back.
They report that Liverpool sent scouts as recently last weekend’s 4-0 win over Birmingham at St James’s Park, where the 23-year old impressed once again in the centre of defence. His performance has apparently impressed Liverpool’s representatives, and they are set to scout him several more times this month with a view to signing the defender in the January transfer window.
Lascelles – who joined Newcastle in 2014 before going back on loan to parent club Nottingham forest – has been one of Newcastle’s most consistent performers since Rafa Benitez took over, with the defender taking his chance in the Newcastle side after injuries to Chancel Mbemba and Fabricio Coloccini. Lascelles’ performances were rewarded in August, when he was chosen as the new captain of Newcastle United despite being one of the younger players in the side at just 23 years of age.
Jurgen Klopp is looking to add ranks to his defence, and will definitely need numbers if he wants to continue Liverpool’s push for a Premier League title. Mamadou Sakho has been told he can leave, and with Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan Liverpool’s only recognised specialist central defenders, Klopp is one injury away from a defensive crisis in that position. Klopp has already been forced to play Lucas Leiva in defence, and this has proven disastrous on more than one occasion.
In October, reports surfaced that Antonio Conte’s Blues could make an £18 million bid, a move which was later rubbished by the player himself, who declared that he intended to continue his stay at Newcastle.
It is unlikely that Newcastle will entertain bids for the former Nottingham Forest man, who was rumoured to be interesting the Reds prior to sealing a £7million move to Tyneside. Lascelles has been a key part of their push to the top of the table, and Benitez – who has been backed by the owners unequivocally – will definitely not want to lose a man who has been developing so well, especially with Newcastle likely to gain promotion to the Premier League for next season.
However, the idea of playing for Klopp and for a club as iconic as Liverpool might be too much to resist for Lascelles, and should he hand in a transfer request, a move may be a possibility.
