Premier League champions Liverpool are eyeing a shock move for former Swansea City flop Renato Sanches, according to reports.
French outlet Le10Sport claims Jurgen Klopp is keeping a close eye on the midfielder, whom he believes to be the number one choice to replace Barcelona target Georgino Wijnaldum should the Dutchman leave Anfield.
The Reds are just the latest top flight side to be linked with the former Benfica starlet, with reports recently suggesting that Wolves are weighing up a potential approach in January.
Sanches was one of the big emerging talents of European football when he arrived at the Liberty Stadium on a season-long loan from German giants Bayern Munich back in 2017.
But after a difficult debut against Newcastle United, the youngster struggled to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, turning in a series of off-colour performances.
Perhaps his most infamous moment arrived during the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where the midfielder passed the ball straight into an advertising hoarding.
After 12 appearances, a hamstring injury in January 2018 effectively ended his stint in South Wales, and he never played for the club again.
However, despite spells in and out of the Bayern first team, the 23-year old moved to Lille in 2019 for a fee believed to be around £25m.
He has since enjoyed a fair bit of form in France, and is perhaps starting to fulfil some of the promise he showed as a teenager.
Indeed, Lille president Gerard Lopez claimed in January that the club had turned down mega money offers worth £64m for the player.
But the financial situation engulfing the Ligue 1 outfit could well soften that stance.
The club are believed to be mired in debts of between €130m & €200m, with reports across the Channel suggesting that Lopez could soon be ousted by lenders as a result.
Ex-Rennes president Olivier Letang has been tipped as a potential replacement, although he would undoubtedly have a big job on his hands, with a sale of the club's brightest stars, including Sanches, surely part of any rebuilding plans.
