Liverpool showing ‘strongest interest’ in Bundesliga star wanted by Tottenham, Newcastle

Liverpool appear to have edged ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in the hunt for a Bundesliga player, as the Reds are reportedly expressing the ‘strongest interest’ in him.

Liverpool were left frustrated on Sunday as they were held to a goalless draw at Anfield by rivals Manchester United. Jurgen Klopp will see the stalemate as a missed opportunity following Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, and Liverpool would have remained top of the table above Arsenal if they had picked up a victory.

Nevertheless, Liverpool remain firmly in the hunt for the title, as they are just one point behind Mikel Arteta’s league leaders.

While Klopp is largely happy with the squad at his disposal, he could still push for one or two players to join the club in January to aid their title chances.

One area that might need bolstering is central defence. That is because Joel Matip will likely miss the rest of the campaign after tearing his ACL, while Klopp also has to use Joe Gomez at right-back when he wants to push Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield.

Those factors leave Klopp with just Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and youngster Jarell Quansah as options at centre-back.

READ MORE: Klopp told shining Liverpool target is ‘like Thomas Muller’ in big praise, but Brighton interest ‘more concrete’

One potential solution is for Liverpool to raid Bayer Leverkusen for their impressive left-footed centre-half Piero Hincapie.

Liverpool chiefs looked at Hincapie in the summer transfer window, but instead opted to focus on their midfield overhaul. On Thursday, German outlet Fussball Transfers revealed that the Reds are back in for the Ecuador international as they are ‘closely following’ his situation.

Liverpool aiming to complete Bayer Leverkusen swoop

However, Liverpool are not alone in pursuing him. Newcastle are ‘serious’ about adding him to their own squad, while Tottenham are long-term admirers.

All three English clubs were handed a boost on Sunday when it emerged that Hincapie is ‘open’ to trying himself out in the Premier League as part of a new challenge.

CaughtOffside have now provided an update on the situation. They state that Liverpool have tentatively moved past Spurs and Newcastle in the race for Hincapie.

The Merseyside giants are showing the ‘strongest interest’ in him, as they know they will soon need to provide Klopp with a new defender. The manager will be furious if Liverpool fail to sign a new centre-back and then one of Van Dijk or Konate gets injured during the final few months of the season.

The report adds that Leverkusen will hold firm in January, as they do not want to disrupt the team’s fantastic form midway through the campaign. Xabi Alonso has helped Leverkusen march to the top of the Bundesliga table, while also qualifying from their Europa League group in style.

This, coupled with the fact that Hincapie’s deal runs until June 2027, means Leverkusen will set a high asking price for the player this winter. Interested clubs will have to spend around €60-70million (£51.7-60m) to strike an agreement.

Although, CaughtOffside do give Liverpool some hope, suggesting that Leverkusen might be tempted to accept a lower bid for the 21-year-old so long as they are still making a big profit on him. The German outfit only paid Argentinian club CA Talleres €6.4m for Hincapie in August 2021.

It must be noted that Hincapie is not the only centre-back Liverpool are keen on, as they are also battling Leicester for the signing of a Brazilian star.