LIVERPOOL ‘TARGET’ SCORES ANOTHER HAT-TRICK

Liverpool ‘target’ Erling Braut Haaland scored another hat-trick yesterday. The 19-year-old Red Bull Salzburg striker has been in great form this season and is being monitored by Liverpool scouts.

We think, because admittedly we’re not experts (!), that Haaland’s stats currently look something like: 21 games, 35 goals and 6 hat tricks, which would explain why Reds’ boss Jürgen Klopp is keeping an eye on him.

Haaland is also currently the top scorer in this season’s Champions League on 7 goals ahead of the likes of Robert Lewandowski (6), Raheem Sterling (5) and Son Heung-Min (5). Mo Salah and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both have 3.

In a report posted on the KopTalk Members’ website last month, we wrote:

Liverpool have joined the race for Red Bull Salzburg’s £50million-rated star Erling Braut Haaland, claims an agent close to the Austrian football club.

It is claimed that the Reds made an informal enquiry to Red Bull about the player’s availability after his recent performance against us in the Champions League earlier this month, a game in which he scored, although we had been showing an interest in him prior to then.

The young striker has been in sensational form for Red Bull Salzburg so far this season and Liverpool scouts have watched him in action several times prior to that Champions League game. They also saw him in action at the Under-20’s World Cup when he scored a world-record 9 goals in a single game for Norway v Honduras.

<<– Buy football club shares online in minutes –>>Son of former Manchester City defender Alf-Inge Haaland, the 19-year-old has been linked with a host of European clubs including Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Salzburg value him at around £50million and would be reluctant to sell in January, but a source close to the player’s club claims Liverpool have followed up on an initial enquiry by proposing a possible deal whereby Haaland could see out the season with Red Bull, if a deal was set in stone with Liverpool.

A source is quoted as saying: “Manchester City look like making a move in the summer but Liverpool have proposed trying to broker a deal now (which could be concluded in January) with the player being allowed to see out the second half of the season with them (Red Bull).”

Liverpool have struck similar deals in the past and have been willing to pay a premium to do so.

One problem for Liverpool, should we step up our interest, could be that controversial agent Mino Raiola is one of the player’s representatives. He once branded Reds’ boss Jürgen Klopp “a piece of shit” for his treatment of former Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli.