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After Liverpool's wonderful start to 2016, it's time to get stuck into some transfer news. The transfer window is open and moves are waiting to be made by clubs who have the cash to make sure agents and players are highly paid. Or more highly paid. Anyway, it's January so let's pretend that we are getting a few players in and go with the transfer rumour flow.
On the first day of the year, Get French Football broke the most exclusive of news. Apparently Liverpool opened talks with Marc-André ter Stegen's entourage. The player is considered a "priority" for Jürgen Klopp even if the player's availability for January is currently unknown. Maybe it's a known unknown or something like that. The Daily Mirror, however, has added more fuel to this seemingly growing fire.
Barcelona want £20 million for a player that was purchased for just under £10 million in May 2014. Liverpool want to pay £12 million. Maybe £16 million makes everybody happy, maybe it doesn't. Barcelona don't seem desperate to sell, while Liverpool don't appear too eager to pay a figure considered to be far too high for a player supposed to challenge (usurp if we're being real here folks) Simon Mignolet.
Ter Stegen's situation is peculiar in that he has played in some games of significance and high stakes for one of the biggest clubs in the world but is not getting regular football. He may be Barcelona's Champions League goalkeeper, but he's made fewer appearances in club competitions in a season-and-a-half than he made in his final season at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Ter Stegen is essentially a cup goalkeeper for Barcelona, which shouldn't satisfy a player of his talent and potential.
The 23-year-old has made four competitive appearances this season in La Liga to go with the non-existent league action last season. With Claudio Bravo trusted by Luis Enrique as Barcelona's number one, ter Stegen will need to move on to find a regular spot. Liverpool hope the German international will grumble enough to make a move more feasible, but for now this is just one to keep an eye on.