- 10 hours ago
Who is Liverpool target and Schalke youngster Malick Thiaw?
Stefan Bienkowski
- Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
- 2 min read
Liverpool often stay ahead of their rivals by identifying young, exciting players before they’ve managed to make a splash across European football.
According to German newspaper Bild, Jurgen Klopp and his back-room staff have already identified their next target in Schalke central defender Malick Thiaw.
The German-born talent made four appearances for Schalke last season and has only broken into Manuel Baum’s side in this campaign over the last few weeks, but has reportedly courted interest from Liverpool scouts for some time.
Despite only having a handful of senior appearances to his name, Thiaw has already impressed at Bundesliga level and even scored a vital goal in his team’s 1-1 draw with Stuttgart last week. So much so, that the young defender could be on the cusp of getting a regular spot in the team.
If Schalke are forced to sell first-choice central defender Ozan Kabak in the January transfer window, amid continued interest from AC Milan, Thiaw could quickly find himself playing regular football for the Gelsenkirchen side before the end of the season.
It’s with that potential chain of events in mind which may ultimately force Liverpool to quickly act on a player that they apparently had their eye on long before he was called into Schalke’s first team plans.
The Anfield club are currenty one defender down while Virgil Van Dijk recovers from a cruciate ligament injury and while they may not be too willing to splash the cash on a ready-made replacement, a player like Thiaw may offer the necessary cover as well as a potential option in the long-term too.
