Rumour Mongering: Reds Free to Sign Moreno Replacement

Alberto Moreno wasn’t the only one to blame for Liverpool’s second half collapse against Sevilla in the Europa League final. He may have been the first domino, badly beaten on the flank on the way to an equalising goal that Liverpool never recovered from, but the subsequent collapse was very much a team effort.

Still, for many, it was one more moment that offered proof that Moreno is more winger than fullback. Whether that’s a fair assessment or a case of confirmation bias as fans judge an attacking fullback they watch every week against players they only see highlights of is an open question, but that it’s a belief held by many is inarguable.

With that as the background, the club have been linked with a series of left backs throughout the spring. None seem clear and obvious replacements for Moreno, but most seem good enough to at least challenge the Spaniard for minutes, and perhaps even to edge him out for the job of starting left back. None more so than Jonas Hector.

At 25 years of age, the Cologne left back is the most proven of the names regularly linked with a Liverpool move, and now Germany’s Bild claim that as his club have lined up his replacement, they are now prepared to sanction his transfer to Anfield. If true, one would expect word to leak from the Liverpool end within days.

According to Bild, Cologne are just now putting the finishing touches on a deal for the soon to be out of contract left back Konstantin Rausch. After struggling to stick with Hannover and Stuttgart in his younger days, the 26-year-old Rausch moved to Darmstadt last summer in search of playing time, penning a one year deal.

His move paid off, as he made 33 appearances for Darmstadt, scoring three goals and six assists. It is unlikely that he would agree to move to Cologne if he hadn’t been given assurances that Hector, who will represent Germany at this summer’s Euros, will be moving on. Add it all up and you get Jonas Hector to Liverpool.

Or at least Bild does, and despite their at times spotty track record, in this case it doesn’t seem an especially far fetched bit of rumour mongering.