Report: Liverpool approach representatives of Aston Villa defender

Jordan Amavi: Liverpool bound?

According to French daily L’Equipe, Liverpool have approached the representatives of Aston Villa star Jordan Amavi over the possibility of signing him in the summer. The 22-year-old signed for Aston Villa at the start of last season in a £8.25m deal, but could now leave the club after they were relegated to the Championship.

Jurgen Klopp is expected to sign quite a few players in the summer, but would specifically want to sign a couple of fullbacks, considering Nathaniel Clyne and Alberto Moreno are the only established fullbacks in his squad.

Australian left-back Brad Smith has played a few games last season, but is expected to leave on loan next season, while it’s not clear if Klopp considers Jon Flanagan as a first team player. Spanish left-back Jose Enrique has left the club, after his contract expired this summer, and it seems Liverpool are already active in the transfer market for defensive reinforcements.

L’Equipe reckon Amavi could cost Liverpool around £11m, and that shouldn’t be a problem for the Reds if they’re genuinely interested in the French defender. Liverpool, however, should be prepared to face competition from AC Milan and a couple of Ligue 1 clubs, including Lyon, but the Reds should be optimistic about their chances.

The French youth international has been quite unfortunate this season, as he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which saw him miss the most of last season.

Amavi made 10 league appearances for Aston Villa this season, and has a contract till 2020 at the now Championship side, but it’d be interesting to see if they can keep him beyond summer. A good offer could also be tempting for Aston Villa, as they might want to reinvest the money in the rest of their squad, and it could be a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Earlier, reports have suggested Liverpool could also be interested in signing German international Jonas Hector, who plays for FC Köln. The Merseyside outfit has already completed deals for Marko Grujic, Joel Matip, and Loris Karius, and Liverpool fans should be delighted that their team is quite active so early in the window.

Jurgen Klopp would also ideally want most of his new signing available for the pre-season tour of the United States and Europe, and it’d be interesting to see, if Liverpool can complete a deal for Amavi, who is quite highly rated in France, and was expected to make it to Didier Deschamps' France squad for the Euros.