Southampton's Dusan Tadic coy on Liverpool links as Jurgen Klopp nears first of seven new signings
The Reds are looking to bolster their squad in order to deal with the added demands of Champions League football
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Liverpool target Dusan Tadic has suggested he will leave Southampton this summer as Jurgen Klopp lines up seven new signings this summer.
Tadic’s game time at Southampton has been reduced this season after he fell out with Claude Puel and he has appeared on the Reds’ radar due to his £13m release clause.
The Serbian would be the sixth player to swap the south coast for Merseyside in the last three seasons after Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert, Nathaniel Clyne and Sadio Mane’s transfers.
Virgil van Dijk initially looked like he would be the sixth Saints star to go to Liverpool but his move broke down after Liverpool withdrew their interest and apologised to Southampton following claims of an ‘illegal approach’.
And Tadic said he wanted to go about any potential exit in the “correct” way but refused to deny he had that £13m release clause in his contract.
“I don’t comment on these things. I have an agent and I have correct things with the club,” the 28-year-old said.
“We will see. You never know in football. In every club, sometimes players leave. It is not easy, but this is football.”
As well as Tadic, Liverpool are expected to complete the signing of Roma winger Mohamed Salah by the end of this month as the Serie A side look to comply with Fifa’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
They must balance their books by the end of June, according to Corriere dello Sport and the £35m sale of Salah to the Reds would do just that, with the Italian club already having lined up a replacement for the 24-year-old in Swedish teenager Teddy Bergqvist from Malmo.
Klopp is also eyeing a double raid on Bundesliga runners-up RB Leipzig for Naby Keita and Timo Werner, after the duo helped the club qualify for the Champions League for the first time.
Klopp is desperate to bolster his midfield with Keita one of his top targets this summer, but the German side are reluctant to sell after only signing him from their sister club Red Bull Salzburg last summer.
As for Werner, only three strikers scored more times than his 21 strikes over the course of the Bundesliga season the Reds want a natural goalscorer to help deal with Champions League football.
Chelsea’s Dominic Solanke already set to arrive at the end of his contract, while Hull's Andrew Robertson is an option at left-back given James Milner had been forced to play there throughout this season.
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