A scouting trip to La Liga was a success, even though the French star headed in the wrong direction

Liverpool were impressed by transfer target Loic Bade during Sevilla’s recent clash with Barcelona, ​​even though his side lost 5-1, as claimed.

According to the Spanish outlet HOWLiverpool have increased their interest in Bade by sending a scout to watch him play against Barcelona on Sunday. While it was a day to forget for Sevilla fans, Bade enhanced his growing reputation with another solid performance.

The central defender was “the best in his team defensively” and even made a great assist. With Sevilla already trailing 4-0, Bade picked out Stanis Idumbo with a fantastic 60-yard pass and the striker finished the scoring.

Although Bade will be clearly frustrated with the result, HOW announced that he is the next player in line to leave Sevilla as part of a big transfer, and Liverpool is interested.

The Reds need to sign a younger centre-back who can ultimately replace Virgil van Dijk, even if the Dutchman signs a new contract, and the ideal solution is 24-year-old Bade.

The report states that Bade could have left Sevilla in the summer, but interested clubs Stuttgart and Roma could not convince him to join.

Given their illustrious history and position as one of the biggest clubs in the world, Liverpool should be able to force the Frenchman out of Sevilla.

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He presented a concrete option for Liverpool

On Saturday, TEAMtalk revealed that Liverpool are interested in Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah. However, as Inter Milan accelerate their pursuit of Tah, Liverpool are considering alternative signings of Bade and Goncalo Inacio from Sporting CP.

As Sporting always want a higher price for selling their best players, there is good reason to suggest that signing Bade will be cheaper than Inacio.

The star of the 2024 France Olympics has a release clause of €60m (£50m/$65m) in his contract, but Sevilla are open to selling him for a much lower amount. Last week it emerged that the La Liga outfit were willing to make a deal for just €30 million (£25 million, $32 million), as much as they were willing to spend the money.

Bayern Munich are also in the mix, although Liverpool are believed to be at the front of the queue to land Bade.

It is worth noting that the player has already had one spell in England, as he was loaned to Nottingham Forest in the first half of the 2022/2023 season.

Bade never managed to break into the Forest team, but since then he has developed enormously and is now one of the best defensive prospects in La Liga.

The former Rennes man is likely to be rotated for the first few years of his Liverpool career if he officially arrives at Anfield.

This is because Arne Slot’s men are confident that they will be able to tie Van Dijk to a new contract, the current terms of which expire next summer.

Liverpool also have Ibrahima Konate at full-back, and when Van Dijk decides to retire, he could form a strong defensive partnership with Bade.

READ MORE: Van Dijk’s contract demands revealed as Liverpool captain makes shock announcement about future

Liverpool transfers: link to Leeds, Alexander-Arnold’s salary

Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton has reportedly become a loan target for Leeds United ahead of the January transfer window opening.

Morton remained on Merseyside in the summer as Slot wanted to look at him, but the 21-year-old has only made one appearance and needs more playing time.

Leeds are expected to turn to Morton in the near future as they look to strengthen their midfield position in their promotion push.

Trent Alexander-Arnold came through the Liverpool academy like Morton, but his future is uncertain.

Liverpool believe they have a good chance of finalizing a new contract with the right-back, but Real Madrid are trying to prevent such a deal.

Reports say Madrid are ready to offer Alexander-Arnold a massive five-year contract worth £75 million (around £288,000 a week).

IN FOCUS – Loic Bade’s career timeline

• January 2020 – After graduating from the academy in Le Havre, Bade made his senior debut at the age of 19 in a Ligue 2 win over Niort.
• June 2020 – The centre-back moves to Ligue 1 and joins Lens on a free transfer after the end of his contract with Le Havre.
• July 2021 – His impressive performances in the 2020/21 season are attracting interest from many clubs, but the race for his signature is won by Rennes after paying €17 million.
• November 2021 – Bade scores his first senior goal as Rennes beat Mura 1-0 in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.
• September 2022 – Joins Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan deal but fails to make a single appearance in the Premier League squad.
• January 2023 – His loan deal with Forest expires and he joins Sevilla on an initial six-month loan deal, which includes a €12 million buy-out option.
• April 2023 – Scored in consecutive matches, scoring in a 2-0 win over Valencia in La Liga before helping Sevilla to a 3-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-finals.
• May 2023 – The defender will play the full 120 minutes against Roma in the Europa League final as Sevilla beat the Serie A side on penalties. Sevilla then activated the option to permanently transfer his player.
• August 2024 – Balde plays for the French under-23 team at the Olympic Games in Paris and helps them reach the final, although they lose 5-3 to Spain after overtime.
• September 2024 – The 24-year-old receives his first call-up to the senior French team, but he has to wait for his debut after an injury.