It is a matter of time until Dominik Szoboszlai becomes Liverpool's second summer signing as Jurgen Klopp continues to rejuvenate his squad ahead of the 2023/2024 season.
Hungary captain Szoboszlai is currently on Merseyside, completing formalities ahead of his switch to Anfield from RB Leipzig. On Friday, the Reds told the Bundesliga outfit that they will trigger the midfielder's £60m release clause just hours before it was due to expire.
Despite a double change in sporting directors, both Michael Edwards and Julian Ward having departed the role in recent years, fans can take immense faith in knowing that any player targeted by the club will have been thoroughly analysed prior to their arrival.
In the particular case of Szoboszlai, there is significant evidence to suggest that Liverpool's interest could be just under four years in the making.
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To revisit such evidence, we must travel back to December 2019 when Szoboszlai's former club RB Salzburg hosted Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League. While a 2-0 scoreline suggests that the Reds enjoyed a straightforward win, such a presumption would be incorrect.
As a matter of fact, the game was delicately poised at 0-0 until Klopp's side scored two goals in two minutes through Mohammed Salah and Naby Keita. Despite lining up alongside the likes of Erling Haaland, Szoboszlai was at the heart of all things positive for Salzburg and caught the eye of his opposing manager.
The 22-year-old later explained to told Nemzeti Sport that after the game, the Liverpool boss came up to congratulate the Hungarian on his performance, claiming: "When someone like Klopp comes up to you after the final whistle and tells you 'great work' that means you're probably on the right path."
In the same interview, he also revealed what it was like to face Klopp's Liverpool. "At Anfield, we had to run non-stop without the ball, this time we had more possession, we tried to control the game, but the missed chances will take their revenge against Liverpool," Szoboszlai added of Salzburg's 4-3 loss to Reds in October 2019.
