Liverpool 'scouting' £43m Serie A midfielder who has confirmed desire to leave current club

Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners looks set to leave Atalanta this summer and reports suggest Liverpool are keeping a close eye on the situation.

Liverpool remain keen to strengthen in midfield, following last summer's decision to completely revamp that area of the squad with the arrivals of Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Those in charge at Anfield will have to prioritise a successor to Jurgen Klopp but are laying the foundations to back any new manager with signings.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Koopmeiners is of interest to Liverpool, with the Dutch midfielder subject to scouting missions. Juventus remain favourites to land the 26-year-old but the financial power of Premier League teams could swing the momentum towards Merseyside.

Regardless of who signs Koopmeiners, it does look likely that the Dutch international will leave Atalanta following an unsuccessful approach last year. Napoli had a €45million (around £38m) bid rejected last summer and any move ahead of next season could cost at least £43m.

“There was concrete interest, but then the clubs couldn’t find [an agreement] with each other,” Koopmeiners told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf of last summer’s Napoli interest. “I told the club that in the summer I would like to leave. But to leave Bergamo, a really interesting offer must arrive, because I hope that Atalanta will earn a good sum from my transfer. I hope to have some options to think about.”

Interest in Koopmeiners is expected to intensify closer to the summer, particularly after what has been an excellent campaign for him with Atalanta. The midfielder has 10 goals and three assists in 25 Serie A appearances, playing a crucial role in his side's fight for European football.

Any move from Liverpool will almost certainly rest on the incoming manager, although it is not yet clear who that looks set to be. Interest in Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi has been well-documented but both are also on the radar of Bayern Munich and it is likely that other top clubs will be looking for a new head coach this summer.