Liverpool are closing in on the loan signing of Schalke centre back Ozan Kabak after both clubs reached an agreement.
The 20-year-old defender will cost the Reds an initial loan fee of £1million which can rise by a further £500,000. There is no obligation to make the deal permanent, but Liverpool have the option of doing so by June for £18million plus add-ons.
Kabak has agreed personal terms and has passed a medical. With Schalke having secured a deal for Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi, the transfer can now go ahead.
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The 6ft 1in centre-back who is nicknamed ‘The Turkish Wall’, has been on Jürgen Klopp’s radar for months with Liverpool having approached Schalke in November last year about a possible future deal.
Liverpool had sniffed around Marseille centre-back Duje Ćaleta-Car but the French outfit were unable to find a replacement. Braga president Antonio Salvador also claimed to have rejected a “considerable” offer from Liverpool for their centre-back David Carmo. These two were considered fall-back options had a deal for Kabak collapsed. New York Red Bulls centre-back Aaron Long was also looked at.
The Reds are also set to announce the signing of Ben Davies from Preston who is making the switch to Anfield for a bargain £1.6million as his contract was up in the summer. The double signing is expected to be announced by the club later this evening.
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