Kieran Tierney on Liverpool Radar

With left fullback a position earmarked for (a much needed) upgrade this summer, but Jürgen Klopp's favoured target Ryan Sessegnon reportedly opting to stay in London, and this writer's preferred choice Ricardo Rodriguez joining AC Milan for €18m, the Reds are left scrambling for secondary and tertiary targets. James Milner is not a satisfactory solution, neither in the long or short term, and Alberto Moreno has reportedly been told to look for a new club.

Monaco's Benjamin Mendy and Porto's Rafa Soares have been touted as potential candidates recently, but it appears the Reds just might be looking a little closer to home.

Kieran Tierney may only have turned 20 just this month, but has already accumulated 75 senior appearances for Celtic, taking over the left-back position under Ronny Deila and retaining it under former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. What's more, he's contributed a stunning 20 assists in that time. Granted, this has taken place at a club that has won six consecutive league titles, and that has averaged 100 league goals for the past two seasons, but that sort of production from a player in the backline remains noteworthy.

Tierney achieves this by being excellent at penetrating into the opposition's box, picking his head up, and sliding a low cross into the path of a waiting team-mate. His timing and anticipation in the attacking third is excellent, and he excels at putting defenders on the back-foot, attacking them with pace and close control, often drawing the foul for a penalty. While he does possess a decent deep cross, his best work comes closer to the touchline.

At the other end of the pitch, things are less settled, and the Scottish international does get caught out of position and outwitted or outworked by more experienced opponents on occasion. This is to be expected of a teenage defender, and growing pains are to be expected, but the question is whether Liverpool have the time or inclination to iron those kinks out.

Arsenal and Manchester United are reportedly also sniffing around, which means the competition might be enough to make Liverpool's interest moot, even if the £15m transfer fee does not. Tierney remains an intriguing prospect, and could very well turn out to be a genuine target for the Reds this summer.