Liverpool ‘watching’ £43m-rated England midfielder amid Man City interest

Last month was by and large a quiet one for the Reds, but the signing of Luis Diaz caused a real buzz among Liverpool fans, with the exciting Colombian winger being snapped up from Porto after a move to Spurs collapsed.

Jurgen Klopp will surely look to strengthen his side further at the end of the current campaign, and the club are now said to be taking a close look at Arsenal's Bakayo Saka.

Here's everything you need to know about the story:

What's the story?

According to ESPN, both Liverpool and Manchester City are closely monitoring Saka, who continues to go from strength to strength with the Gunners.

It is suggested that, should the north Londoners fail to qualify for the Champions League this season, he could look to move elsewhere, with both the Reds and City poised to make the player an attractive offer.

As things stand, Saka has under a year-and-a-half left on his current deal at the Emirates Stadium, and, given Arsenal's recent history of losing quality players for nothing, they could be pressured into parting company with their academy graduate - even if it means selling to a divisional rival.

The Gunners will work relentlessly to tie one of their most gifted talents down to a new long-term contract, but the club's continued lack of progress could see the 20-year-old look elsewhere in an attempt to win more silverware.

Why is Saka in such high demand?

A dazzling talent with the world at his feet, the buzz around Saka is fully justified.

Capable of playing on either wing in an offensive or defensive position, he boasts the creativity and flair to give opposition defences nightmares, but also has the maturity and discipline required to do a shift at the back.

His inclusion in Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2020 was derided by many before the tournament began, but his youthful exuberance gave the Three Lions an extra edge that saw them surge to the latter stages of the competition.

While he missed a pivotal penalty in the harrowing shoot-out loss to Italy in the Final, his contributions to the side as a whole were invaluable, and he clearly has a bright international career ahead of him.

Given his impressive versatility, he'd be an ideal fit for Klopp's Reds, and would be a serious statement signing should they be able to convince the Gunners to sell.

Who else are interested?

Atletico Madrid and Juventus are both said to be keen admirers of the player, and could offer him the opportunity to test his talents in top quality league abroad.

English players opting to ply their trade on the continent is becoming increasingly popular, with Three Lions duo Jude Bellingham and Tammy Abraham both currently thriving in the German and Italian top tiers respectively.

Last September, Arsenal were, according to reports from Italy, willing to accept a fee in the region of £43m for Saka.

While his value will continue to deteriorate the closer he comes to his contract expiry, it does seem unlikely that they would indeed accept such a relatively low fee for a player of Saka's calibre, given the wildly inflated transfer market in which elite clubs currently operate.