'Talks now taking place': David Ornstein confirms talk should be underway - Reds were willing to pay €7m/year in wages

In a follow-up to yesterday's story from the Liverpool Echo, David Ornstein provided an update in his Transfer Mailbag to say 'talks are now taking place' for Franck Kessie.

He wrote: "Kessie is into the final six months of his AC Milan contract and therefore can sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club. It won’t surprise you to learn talks are now taking place.

"The likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are surveying possibilities to bolster in central midfield next summer and as a high-performing 25-year-old free agent, Kessie will be on the radar of those teams and more in England and beyond."

Kessie will soon be a free agent as his terms in Milan expire at the end of the season and he is one of the most promising free agents on the market.

From a Liverpool perspective, he's certainly one of the most enticing options as he is quite similar to Georginio Wijnaldum stylistically and Jurgen Klopp could look to mould the Ivory Coast international in the way he did the Dutchman.

When he joined the Anfield outfit from Newcastle United in 2016 for £25million, Wijnaldum arrived as an attacking midfielder with the ability to play as a goalscoring box to box no.8 as well.

Klopp, however, moulded him into a press-resistant machine that protected and shielded the Reds from counter-attacks and they have looked worse for wear without him this season.

It's almost like it was a symbiotic relationship as the 31-year-old has not exactly been the star of the show in Paris since moving to Ligue 1 in the summer but it's a sign to other Liverpool players that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Of course, that's a bit unfair to Wijnaldum as he wanted to stay at Anfield but FSG weren't happy to meet his demands.