Watch: Yevhen Konoplyanka v. England

Fans hoping for Liverpool to make a major January signing look increasingly likely to get their wish with suggestions a £15M deal for Dnipro's Yevhen Konoplyanka isn't far off being completed. The best player on the pitch for either country in both of Ukraine's qualifying matches against England, the 24-year-old winger has already been named his nation's player of the year on three occasions, and he would instantly improve Liverpool's starting eleven.

Unlike previous target Mohamed Salah, this is a transfer that would be as much about the present as the future. Konoplyanka's best footballing years are still ahead of him, but he has the experience and maturity to step in and make an instant impact—and he has the international performances to prove his domestic success isn't simply the result of being in a weaker league. And for a fee of around £15M, this a deal Liverpool simply cannot afford to miss now that it has become public.

The Ukrainian playmaker has spent most of his career as a right footed left winger, and his passing vision and a willingness to track back are both notable. That along with his ability to play anywhere in the attacking band behind the striker or strikers make him ideally suited to supplementing Liverpool's attack. Perhaps his most impressive quality, though, is his ability to dribble at pace, as at times Konoplyanka appears to be just as fast running with the ball as he is without it.

Konoplyanka was first linked to Liverpool over the summer along with fellow countryman Andriy Yarmolenko, and at the time it was believed it would take at least ten million more to pry him away from Dnipro. Conflicting reports that his current contract has somewhere between six and 18 months remaining, though, would explain his availability for a bargain rate. Fans looking to add a bit of angst to their day will be nervously eyeing reports that Arsenal could also be interested.