Premier League rivals 'in talks' with 'Rolls-Royce' Liverpool target who is available for free this summer

Liverpool are keeping their options open ahead of the summer as a busy transfer window looks to be on the horizon. With Jurgen Klopp stepping down from his role as manager of the club, the Reds are entering a new chapter and it will likely involve some exciting new signings as well.

At this moment in time, Joël Matip, Thiago and Adrián are all are expected to leave as free agents at the end of the season, but other players could also be headed for the door. The main exit link is Mohamed Salah amid the ongoing interest from Saudi Arabia, but whether Liverpool can tie him down with a new deal or will cash in this summer remains to be seen so far.

Either way, there are a number of areas on the pitch that the Reds are looking to strengthen, and the main one is the backline after this season's injury concerns. At some point or another this term, all of Liverpool's senior full-backs have been injured, forcing Joe Gomez to play out of position and Conor Bradley to step up.

Matip has been ruled out for the season, and Ibrahima Konaté also missed some games with a muscle issue, spreading the centre-back options thin. So, as Liverpool seek cover, they have been linked to a number of potential options, and one of them is Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly.

The versatile defender has been on their radar for a while now and as he approaches the final months of his contract, other clubs are showing their interest too. A January report from Football Insider claimed that while Kelly was able to enter pre-contract talks with other clubs in the winter window, he did not want to rush into anything.

AC Milan, Juventus and several Bundesliga clubs had registered their interest but the 25-year-old wasn't interested in pre-agreeing terms with a club abroad, suggesting he may be looking to remain in England. While this bodes well for Liverpool, Newcastle United have now appeared on the scene.

According to the Daily Mail, talking between the player and the Magpies are 'continuing in the background' before he becomes a free agent this summer. Signing a player for nothing is a great way to stay on the right side of FFP regulations, so Liverpool need to be prepared to fight for their defensive target.

Kelly has been linked to a Bournemouth for some time now and even former Cherries boss Jonathan Woodgate knew he would eventually move on to a higher challenge. Speaking back in 2021, Woodgate described him as 'a bit of a Rolls-Royce' and said: "He’s got talent. He’s got a lot of attributes which Premier League teams look at. I don’t see him being at Bournemouth long, if he keeps on playing like that."