Liverpool round-up: Everton battle for Michael Keane; Rostov’s Sardar Azmoun reveals January rejection; offer made for Sead Kolasinac

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The Daily Mail say that Liverpool are preparing to do battle with city rivals Everton over a move for Burnley defender Michael Keane, with Manchester City and Leicester City also having an interest in the former Manchester United centre-back. Currently with the England squad, the 24-year-old could be in line for his first cap this week.

The 24-year-old has been hugely impressive for Burnley in their return to the top flight and was one of many to stand out in Sean Dyche’s team’s recent strong defensive display at Anfield having beaten the Reds earlier on in the season.

One player claims that he turned down a January move to Merseyside as Iranian forward Sardar Azmoun told the media, as quoted by Metro:

“There were talks of Liverpool having expressed an interest in me during the past winter transfer window. However, I did not feel the time to move was right. I would have ended up playing a few games and then spent a great deal of time on the bench as Liverpool were only looking to fill a void for a particular part of their season. I want to move to a big club to develop as a player and therefore I will time the move with great precision. I am sure I will be playing for a top European club in the near future.”

The 22-year-old striker has scored nine goals in 31 games so far this season for Russian side Rostov, who were recently knocked out of the Europa League by Manchester United, but clearly believes that he has the quality to earn a move to a top European club in the near future.

Another player who seems likely to make a move soon is Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac as German newspaper Bild say that manager Jurgen Klopp has already made a move for the Serbian, who has entered the final six months of his contract in Germany and is available to enter into talks.

However, there is also interest in the full-back from Juventus, Roma, AC Milan, Arsenal and Manchester City, but a move to Liverpool could allow the 23-year-old to follow in the foot-steps of his former team-mate Joel Matip.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Craig Ballantyne.