Liverpool could accelerate plans to sign €70m monster after "very advanced" summer talks

Liverpool want to beat Premier League rivals to sign Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie after showing serious interest in the summer transfer window.

Joel Matip's crushing ACL injury and resulting surgery means he will not play another game this season.

His contract expiring at the end of the campaign also means he may have played his last game for the Reds.

Schalke released him as a free agent in 2016 and since then, he has been a wonderful player for Liverpool even though his injury misfortune has prevented him from reaching his full potential.

While the Jurgen Klopp already had plans to replace the veteran defender, those may now be accelerated.

Transfer latest as Liverpool aim to beat Man City to Hincapie

Earlier this week, German transfer guru Florian Plettenberg reported that Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie is "not happy" with his role at Bayer Leverkusen.

Now, Caught Offside reports that Liverpool aim to "move ahead of Chelsea and Manchester City" in the race to secure his signature in transfer windows to come.

Jurgen Klopp is reportedly a "big fan" of the 21-year-old and Liverpool are "showing the strongest interest so far".

Hincapie is under contract until 2027 and Leverkusen want to keep him for at least another year, however, his lack of game time could force the issue.

It will reportedly cost at least €70 million (£60m) to convince Xabi Alonso's side to release him.

Liverpool were reportedly in "advanced" talks to sign Hincapie in the summer and could now return to sign the Ecuadorian centre-back to deal with Matip's injury-enforced absence.

Liverpool also interested in Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong

Hincapie is not the only Leverkusen player attracting interest with Liverpool also keen on 20-year-old Florian Wirtz and 23-year-old Jeremie Frimpong.

Reports in late November suggested Liverpool are preparing a €90 million (£78M) bid for Wirtz although Daily Mail reporter Lewis Steele rubbished these claims.

He said: “There’s no concrete interest yet in Florian Wirtz but that doesn’t mean he is not on Liverpool’s radar. They look at a lot of players."

Frimpong is also of interest, according to depor.com, who claimed last month that Liverpool and Chelsea "have decided to enter the bidding."

Time will tell if this claim is worth its weight in gold.