Reported Liverpool interest in Sandro Tonali could be bad news for Naby Keita

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Liverpool are romping towards their first Premier League crown since the league was formed in 1992. 

The Reds are currently 14 points clear of Manchester City in second with a game in hand still to play.

As a result of such form, it seems unlikely that Jurgen Klopp will be making wholesale additions to his squad this month.

Liverpool have already signed Takumi Minamino but that could spell the end of their mid-season recruitment.

Whilst it seems unlikely anyone else will be added, it hasn’t stopped the papers linking players with moves to Anfield.

One of those is Bresica wonderkid Sandro Tonali. Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport has claimed Liverpool are to rival Juventus for the £42.7 million-rated midfielder.

The 19-year-old looks to be a real star of the future. Despite his tender years, he has played 72 games for the Brescia first-team.

His tough-tackling, no-nonsense approach has caught the eye, whilst he is also comfortable playing the ball out form a holding midfield role.

Should Tonali make the switch to Anfield, however, it would perhaps bring the curtain down on Naby Keita’s time at Liverpool.

The 24-year-old signed for the Reds at the start of last season. He cost £48 million (BBC) from Red Bull Leipzig and came with a big reputation.

Since checking-in at Anfield, however, he has struggled for consistency.

He has featured just 47 times under Klopp and has missed several games through a series of niggling injuries.

Changes

As a result, the signing of Tonali might imply that patience is wearing thin with Keita.

At 19 he is tipped to take the footballing world by storm and has already picked up three caps for the Italy national team.

It remains to be seen but Klopp might be fed up of waiting for Keita to hit top form and could see Tonali as a decent alternative.

Keita is paid £120,000-a-week (Spotrac) which isn’t as much as some of the team’s more integral players.

The Guinean might be kept around as a squad player but if Tonali were to sign for Liverpool he would almost certainly leapfrog Keita in the pecking order.

Signing the Italian would represent a massive coup for Liverpool.

They would land one of Europe’s top talents and he could thrive under the management of Klopp.