Fabrizio Romano's 9-word update on Liverpool chasing target - alarm bells ringing

Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool are not in the race to sign Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo.

He wrote on Twitter: "To be clear. Liverpool are NOT in the race."

This followed a recent claim from Gazzetta dello Sport (print edition, July 30, page 28) that Liverpool are now in the race to sign Manuel Locatelli.

Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Liverpool have joined the race to sign talented midfielder Locatelli and with Sassuolo demanding £35million for his services, he’s a relatively affordable option.

Liverpool are still yet to make their second signing of the summer and are yet to replace Gini Wijnaldum after he left the club on a free transfer.

While it's clear that the club is waiting for the right opportunity and that FSG needs to sell before they can buy, there is so little news right now that it's beginning to become a little alarming.

The Premier League season starts in two weeks and while new signings wouldn't go straight into the starting XI unless they were of Mbappe's calibre, the squad needs to be reinforced and soon.

Fortunately, pre-season has shown that Jurgen Klopp has some very interesting options, including Naby Keita although the Guinean will be a mystery card for a few months until it's clear that his fitness can be trusted.

Sadio Mane seems to be very sharp and while he will play backup to Andy Robertson, Andy Tsimikas has looked fantastic this summer.

This is especially good news as Robbo seemed to fade from games at times last season and if he knows that Klopp can withdraw him for his Greek counterpart at any given moment, he will likely perform at a consistently high level.

While Liverpool's squad is strong before any names are added, Klopp will still be hoping to add a new forward and midfielder before the summer ends.