Liverpool will battle with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United to sign Kai Havertz next summer, according to reports.

Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Havertz is expected to be in demand after an excellent few seasons in the Bundesliga.

The 20-year-old contributed 20 goals and seven assists in 42 matches across all competitions last season, with 17 of those strikes coming in the league.

He has two goals in two games this season having scored in Leverkusen’s 3-2 opening weekend win over Paderborn.

German TV station Sport1 claim that Liverpool will be one of eight major European clubs in the hunt to land Havertz.

The Germany international is also attracting interest from Premier League rivals Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

On the continent, Spanish heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid are other interested parties.

Bayern Munich are another European giant keeping tabs on Havertz, with the Bundesliga champions known for hoovering up the best talents around the division.

Sport1 claim that which club Havertz joins is far from clear, though Bayern are particularly keen.

t is said though that the attacking midfielder is set to move on in the summer of 2020 and could have even left this summer.

Any exit was however vetoed by Leverkusen boss Rudi Voller, who has ensured the club and player have not had concrete discussions with any interested clubs.

Havertz is under contract until 2022 and Leverkusen expect to raise at least €100million (£91.4m) with his sale.

Source: Daily Express

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

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Fans travelling to Anfield for Liverpool versus Arsenal on Saturday August 24 are advised to plan their journey in advance and arrive at the stadium early to avoid delays.

Fans travelling to Anfield for Liverpool versus Arsenal on Saturday August 24 are advised to plan their journey in advance and arrive at the stadium early to avoid delays.

Supporters should be aware that there will be disruption to the Merseyrail network on Saturday due to planned strike action. A reduced train service will run across the Merseyrail network:

• There will be no trains running on the Kirkby, Ellesmere Port or Hunts Cross lines during the strike action.
   
• Most services will run between the hours of 7am and 7pm. However, there will be a break in service during the middle of the day. Please check last train times here. 
   
• Some stations will be closed.
   
• The Soccerbus will not be in operation on Saturday as trains will not be stopping at Sandhills station. Fans should instead use the 917 express service (Stagecoach) from Lime Street to and from the Stadium. The 501 and 502 services (Peoplesbus) will also be in operation post-match, departing from Walton Breck Road to Lime Street station. LFC fan support will be on hand to assist should you have any queries.

Click here for strike timetables.

Fans are also advised that emergency gas works will be undertaken from Friday August 23 until early next week affecting Queens Drive at the junction of East Prescot Road. 

Fans should take alternative routes in order to avoid road closures and delays. For more information please click here.

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Liverpool have issued a ticket update for the Premier League fixture against Burnley FC at Turf Moor Saturday August 31, kick-off 5.30pm.

Liverpool have issued a ticket update for the Premier League fixture against Burnley FC at Turf Moor Saturday August 31, kick-off 5.30pm.

A limited number of tickets remain and will be available online to season ticket holders and Official Members based on attendance at Premier League away fixtures during season 2018-19:

Attendance at 17 games: From 11am Friday August 23.

Only in the event tickets remain:

Attendance at 16 games: From 2pm Friday August 23.

Supporters can purchase one ticket per person up to a maximum of four tickets per transaction.

Tickets are subject to availability and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. We cannot guarantee that tickets will be available to all who apply.

For further information before travelling, please click here.

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Jamie Carragher has argued that Liverpool could face a tougher test against Arsenal on Saturday evening due to their new defensive approach.

The Reds are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, having conceded to Norwich, Chelsea and Southampton, and the formidable back line of the previous campaign has looked decidedly shakier.

One of the most common reasons cited for this is a higher line held by the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, and how often they have been caught out as a result.

The belief is that, due to the influence of VAR in offside decisions, Liverpool are staying further up the pitch in the knowledge that opposition attackers are more likely to be flagged.

But against Norwich in the Premier League opener, Jurgen Klopp‘s side faced 12 shots on goal, while at St Mary’s in the first away game of 2019/20, the Saints had 14 efforts.

Though the UEFA Super Cup should be considered an anomaly given it is effectively a late pre-season game, Chelsea fired 20 shots on Adrian‘s goal.

By way of example, the Reds restricted Chelsea to just six shots in their last meeting—the 2-0 win at Anfield in April—on their way to conceding just 22 goals over 38 games in the Premier League.

Both Norwich and Southampton had opportunities to score more, with strikers Teemu Pukki and Che Adams particularly troublesome in behind the Liverpool defence, and failed—but Carragher believes Arsenal won’t be as lenient.

“When I say Liverpool have got away with it [so far], the quality they’ve played against hasn’t been top class,” he told Sky Sports.

The Gunners certainly have top-class attackers, with Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang in excellent form and Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe dangerous in support.

“The quality Arsenal have, if Liverpool get caught in those positions and don’t run back, they’re going to have major problems within that game,” Carragher continued.

“You think about on the counter-attack as well, Liverpool playing higher up on the pitch on Saturday.

“And listen of course Liverpool are going to cause big problems the other way, I have no doubt about that.

“But the chances, the shots on goal that they’re allowing at this moment, better quality teams, better quality strikers, are going to make Liverpool pay.”

The 41-year-old certainly makes a good point, particularly given Liverpool are unable to field their first-choice goalkeeper as Alisson remains sidelined and Adrian fills in.

Whether the Spaniard suits the higher defensive line is questionable, as Adrian has been slow off his line at times during his two starts so far.

Matip was preferred to Gomez last time out at Southampton, but has also struggled with a relative lack of pace on the recovery, and it could be that the No. 12 is better suited for Saturday.

Klopp, Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all rejected claims that Liverpool are deliberately operating with a higher line this season, but their approach seems to have changed nonetheless.

Carragher isn’t a fan, arguing that his old club have been “lucky and fortunate at different times” already this season.

“I’m not necessarily sure it’s a higher line, but it looks to me as if they’re trying to play offside,” he added.

“They caught players offside more than anyone in the Premier League this season.

“[But] I don’t like it and I think they’ve been lucky and fortunate at different times this season to get away with it.”

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Police want to speak to man after seven-year-old injured as a result of gas canister thrown from away end in Southampton's match with Liverpool

Last Updated: 21/08/19 1:33pm

The incident happened in the second half of Southampton's defeat to Liverpool

Hampshire Police have launched an appeal to identify a supporter they want to speak to in connection with an incident in Southampton’s game with Liverpool at the weekend.

A nitrous oxide (NOS) canister was thrown from the away supporters' section of the Northam stand into the home end at St Mary's shortly after Liverpool's second goal.

The gas canister hit a seven-year-old Southampton fan, who suffered minor injuries as a result.

Recognise this man? The pics are not the best, but we want to speak to him after an incident at Saints v Liverpool on Sat 17 Aug. An item was thrown from the away end into the Northam home section & hit a young Saints fan. Please call 101 ref 44190293624. https://t.co/4RgDYL1Jm7 pic.twitter.com/uB1f4ZKcbA

— Hampshire Police (@HantsPolice) August 21, 2019

Hampshire Police want anyone who recognises the man or has any other information about the incident to call 101 quoting 44190293624.

Alternatively anyone with information can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Liverpool won the match 2-1 to take top spot in the Premier League table after just two games.

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Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum have been called up by the Netherlands for their upcoming European Championship qualifiers.

The Liverpool duo are named in their country's initial 29-man group for the fixtures against Germany and Estonia next month.

The Netherlands face Germany in Hamburg on September 6 and then travel to Tallinn to take on Estonia three days later.

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Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum have been called up by the Netherlands for their upcoming European Championship qualifiers.

Dejan Lovren could still leave Liverpool this summer despite the breakdown of his expected move to AS Roma, with Bayer Leverkusen emerging as a late suitor.

The transfer window remains open for the majority of European clubs until midnight of September 2, and this combined with the Football League loan window could see further departures from Merseyside.

Beyond the likes of Herbie Kane and Ryan Kent, Lovren is the one first-team player whose future remains up in the air.

The Croatian is back in training at Melwood this week following a conveniently timed illness, which coincided with talks between Liverpool and Roma.

The Reds halted negotiations with the Serie A outfit after their failure to make a formal offer, despite indications that they would be willing to pay £15 million for the 30-year-old.

Jurgen Klopp has so far alternated between Joel Matip and Joe Gomez as Virgil van Dijk‘s centre-back partner, and with Lovren far down the pecking order it could be that he still heads for the exit.

According to Sport Bild, Leverkusen are considering a move for Lovren as they seek an experienced addition to their defensive ranks.

However, the deal mooted is a season-long loan including a €3 million (£2.75m) fee up front, which may not appease the Reds given they do not need to part ways with their No. 6.

But their willingness to sell Lovren does suggest they could be open to arranging a switch, particularly if they were to agree to an obligation to buy at the end of the campaign.

Leverkusen are also interested in Freiburg’s Dominique Heintz, which could complicate matters if Liverpool were to hold firm on their valuation.

Lovren was on the substitutes’ bench for the Community Shield defeat to Man City, but has been absent for each of the Reds’ three competitive games this season so far.

And given the options at Klopp’s disposal, with one of Gomez or Matip and likely James Milner making the bench as cover at the back, he could also miss out on the squad for Saturday’s clash with Arsenal.

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Watch Liverpool vs Arsenal on Saturday, live on Sky Sports from 5pm

Last Updated: 21/08/19 4:02pm

0:27 Andrey Arshavin says he could never have imagined he would score four goals for Arsenal away to Liverpool in their iconic 4-4 draw 10 years ago Andrey Arshavin says he could never have imagined he would score four goals for Arsenal away to Liverpool in their iconic 4-4 draw 10 years ago

Andrey Arshavin admits he never expected to score four goals in Arsenal's staggering eight-goal thriller at Anfield 10 years ago - but insists he has enjoyed better games.

The Gunners held title-chasing Liverpool to a 4-4 draw in April 2009, a game best-remembered for Arshavin's goal-scoring heroics.

But Arshavin, who had joined Arsenal from Zenit St Petersburg less than three months earlier, told Sky Sports News: "For me it was a regular game - nothing special. I did not feel anything special before the game.

"When I came out onto the pitch and was warming up, I thought 'we will not lose today'. That was the only thing I knew before the game.

2:09 We take a look back to one of the most dramatic matches in Premier League history, when Andrey Arshavin scored four for Arsenal, to hault Liverpool's race for the title We take a look back to one of the most dramatic matches in Premier League history, when Andrey Arshavin scored four for Arsenal, to hault Liverpool's race for the title Liverpool vs Arsenal

August 24, 2019, 5:00pm

Live on

"Of course I could not imagine before that game that I would score four goals.

"If you look at the stats, it was my best game. But in terms of playing style, I had some other games that were much better."

Ten years after the amazing 4-4 draw, Liverpool and Arsenal meet again at Anfield on Saturday in an early top-of-the-table Premier League clash, live on Sky Sports.

0:49 Martin Tyler brings you his first teaser of the 2019-20 season ahead of Wolves' Monday Night Football clash with Manchester United Martin Tyler brings you his first teaser of the 2019-20 season ahead of Wolves' Monday Night Football clash with Manchester United

The Gunners have won their first two league matches of the season for the first time in a decade, but Arshavin is still unsure on the job being done by head coach Unai Emery.

"It's difficult to replace a guy (Arsene Wenger) who managed the team for more than 20 years," said Arshavin. "Unai Emery is not in a good position I would say.

"But I would say the first year was not bad. He is building the team and he needs time. I hope he does well.

Arshavin was signed for Arsenal by Arsene Wenger, and scored 31 goals in 145 games for the club

"I think the realistic target is to be in the top four because Manchester City and Liverpool are very strong. They are contenders for the title."

Arshavin returned to Zenit, initially on loan, in 2012, and went on to play for another Russian club - Krasnodar - as well as Kazakhstani side Kairat Almaty before retiring in December 2018.

While he only spent three years in north London, the 38-year-old says he will always be an Arsenal fan.

"Of course - why not?" he said. "In England I played only for Arsenal. I'm still a Gooner and I never change.

"People who met me liked me and they mentioned about this match. It was good to be there and I enjoyed it."

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New autumn/winter additions to LFC Retail's fashion collection are available to buy online and in-store now.

It's a moment Adrian describes as the 'most important' of his career, but one he still chose to dedicate to someone over 1,700 miles away.

After four games in 14 days to begin the season, two of them being ‘finals’ – and one of those being 2,000 miles away in Istanbul, Liverpool now have just two games in 27 days.

Those two fixtures, at home to Arsenal and away to Burnley, each see a week’s preparation time, with a two-week international break thereafter before a home match against Newcastle.

It’s something that will be most welcomed by Jurgen Klopp, with the manager always speaking of his desire for good preparation time for his players.

And after a somewhat hectic pre-season that saw key players returning just a week before the Community Shield, and, in Sadio Mane‘s case, just four days before the opening league game, Klopp will relish the opportunity to work with his full squad.

The players too, will be relieved for this lighter schedule. Mohamed Salah has clocked up 379 minutes, plus 45 in his only friendly appearance of the summer against Lyon, just 20 days since returning to pre-season.

Roberto Firmino has played 329 minutes in the same period, while Mane played 209 minutes of competitive action in the 13 days since he returned.

Meanwhile, players who were on the US tour, they went from Notre Dame, to Boston, to New York, one day back in Liverpool with their families, back away to Edinburgh, then directly to Evian in France and straight to London for the Community Shield.

A full week back in their own homes and working at Melwood will be welcomed by all at the club, from staff, players and their families.

Fitness… for some

While playing 90 minutes so soon after returning isn’t ideal, Klopp does like to typically use early season fixtures to build up full fitness for his key players.

Which could explain why he’s used just 16 players in these opening four games – one of them being Adrian, which is only due to Alisson‘s injury.

It’s been the same 14 outfield players used in each league game, with Divock Origi the attacking sub, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip rotating at centre-back, and four centre-midfielders used.

Klopp, though, spoke after the Southampton game of ensuring players weren’t playing 50 or 60 games a season – which, at the current rate of involvement the front three certainly would be when including international commitments, and the Club World Cup to come in December.

“No football player should play 50 or 60 games a season, especially not in these intense positions,” said Klopp.

But watching on from the sidelines in these opening weeks has been the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, whose only appearance was in the final 11 minutes of the Community Shield.

He’s been quoted this week speaking of his disappointment at no longer getting playing time, saying that “I need to take a good look at the situation and find a solution.”

Whether that means assessing his application in training, or seeking a solution away from Anfield is open to interpretation. But if he isn’t getting any involvement against the likes of Norwich and Southampton when the front three are all being pushed to their physical limits, it’s hard to see where he comes in.

Last season Klopp was extremely reluctant to use the Swiss international when using the 4-3-3 formation, with one of his rare outings in that shape being the 4-0 win over Barcelona when the manager’s hand was forced by injuries.

Shaqiri and Rhian Brewster will be hoping Liverpool get a favourable draw in the League Cup third round next week, giving them chance to play at least.

Improvements to come

While the Reds have enjoyed two wins from two opening league games, those games plus the ‘finals’ vs. Man City and Chelsea have seen some concern over the uncharacteristically high amount of chances afforded for opponents.

This next few weeks, then, should give Klopp plenty of time to work on ironing out any such issues.

“We know we have to improve,” he acknowledged last week. “We know that we have to do a couple of things but a few things will just come because we are then longer together, in different situations and get used to it again.”

Vital time, then, on the training ground should see an improvement in the chances against, whatever the reasons for them so far.

The other good news is that Egypt don’t have any competitive fixtures during the September international break so Salah should remain on Merseyside.

And, after the international break, we could well see Alisson back for the visit of Newcastle to Anfield on September 14, which will be over four weeks since he picked up his calf injury.

Two wins before then, against Arsenal and Burnley, would guarantee Liverpool were top of the table going into the first international break.

We also have the Champions League draw to look forward to next Thursday, so the season should be taking shape nicely a month from now.

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Work was ongoing at Melwood on Tuesday morning as Liverpool continued to prepare for their next assignment: Arsenal's visit to Anfield on Saturday tea time.

The Reds were put through their paces by Jürgen Klopp and co as attentions turned to the visit of the Gunners, a game in which the Premier League's only two remaining 100 per cent records go up against each other.

Our cameras were granted exclusive access to the session - and you can watch the best of it in our video above now.

Not yet signed up to LFCTV GO? Click here to join now.

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Work was ongoing at Melwood on Tuesday morning as Liverpool continued to prepare for their next assignment: Arsenal's visit to Anfield on Saturday tea time.

Despite his reservations over VAR, Mohamed Salah is insistent that he will see more penalties handed his way this season thanks to its introduction.

The Premier League is the latest to introduce video technology this season, but the system, or more so the rules which it adjudicates over, has already earned widespread criticism.

The major talking points have emerged in each of Man City‘s games to date, with Raheem Sterling first ruled offside by the smallest of margins against West Ham before Gabriel Jesus’ ‘winner’ against Spurs was ruled out due to a handball in the buildup.

Much of the criticism comes from the emotional aspect of the game being extracted in favour of the most minute details, and it is something Salah is not particularly fond of himself as mistakes are simply part and parcel of the game.

“I don’t like it … that’s my answer, always. I don’t like it. I love football how it is,” he said during an interview with CNN.

“It’s like that with the mistakes of the referee, with the aggression from the player sometimes.

“It’s OK sometimes to protect the players from dangerous play. But OK, that’s it, in my opinion, that could be the only reason that happened, just to protect the players.

“But for me, I accepted the football with the mistakes of the referee, mistakes of the player, I don’t know, whatever. That’s how the football gets more excited.”

However, the increased scrutiny in and around the box is something the Egyptian feels he will benefit from throughout the season and dispel any notion that he is a diver like some outside the club like to believe.

For an age, it seemed as Liverpool were invisible in the eyes of the referee in the penalty area – with only three awarded in 2017/18 – but the Reds were awarded seven penalties in the league last season, with Salah converting three of those.

And Liverpool’s No.11 is confident he will find himself on the right side of VAR decisions this term.

“More penalties for me, you will see that,” he said.

But it is not just about scoring penalties or simply finding the net for Salah, who has notched 72 goals in 108 appearances for the Reds, as his job also centres around creating chances for those around him.

“I’m not a striker, I play as a winger, so it’s my job not just to score but to also assist, play with the midfield.”

“I play on the wing which no one recommended. For a long time I didn’t play as a number nine.

“I’m comfortable with that. It’s not my first job. Like, the number one his job is only to score but as a winger it’s not just to score, it’s to give assists … and play with the team. I’ll do a lot of things to defend.”

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Jurgen Klopp has disclosed that he could be ready to retire at the conclusion of his contract with Liverpool in 2022.

The German has long remained coy over the specifics of his future beyond his deal at Anfield, which at the current date of conclusion would see him at the helm for seven years – the same exact time spent at former clubs Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.

And while Klopp has flirted with talk of a prolonged break after his deal with the club comes to a close, talks over retirement is a relatively new area for him to touch upon.

The 52-year-old did say early last year that “It’s possible that I will end my career a lot earlier than coaches usually do,” but his new comments provide a few more specific details.

Upon being named Sport Bild’s manager of the season after guiding Liverpool to a 97 point finish in the Premier League and to a European Cup, Klopp opened up on his future.

“I hope to continue like this, but in two, three years I don’t know what may happen. Maybe I’ll retire,” he said, via Gianluca Di Marzio.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen, however, but if that were the case, you wouldn’t be surprised.”

The club’s owners are eager to tie him down to a new extended deal, but Klopp has so far resisted such overtures and any decision will be respected when the time comes.

But with the manager already insisting that he will not leave his position at the helm prematurely, the Reds will have at the very least two seasons on top of the current one with Klopp steering the ship.

Since taking over from Brendan Rodgers in 2015 Klopp has overseen widespread changes and an exponential rise which now has Liverpool firmly back on their perch where they belong.

And while any thought of the German tipping his cap and bowing out at Anfield isn’t a pleasant one, there is no doubt that whenever his time is up that he will have left a lasting legacy.

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It will have been a “crime” from Liverpool’s youngsters should they fail to learn from the experience and quality on display in the recent defeat to Chelsea.

The Reds’ under-23s, led by Neil Critchley, fell to their second successive defeat to the tune of 3-0 at the hands of Chelsea in a Premier League 2 clash on Monday.

Liverpool fielded a strong lineup which included the likes of Caoimhin Kelleher and Sepp van den Berg, both returning from injury, who were flanked by Ki-Jana Hoever, Harvey Elliott, Rhian Brewster and Yasser Larouci among others.

But the Blues possessed senior figures in Antonio Rudiger and Michy Batshuayi, the latter of whom scored a double alongside a Faustino Anjori strike to ensure the young Reds were again on the wrong side of the scoreline.

It was a largely disjointed affair and while Critchley was left to lament “a tough night”, valuable lessons will undoubtedly emerge from the defeat.

“That was a tough night, to be honest. There were a million moments where we could have done a lot better in and loads of situations in and out of possession where we failed,” he told the official club website.

“We stuck at it and showed a bit of character towards the end, but the game was gone at that stage. The manner in which we got beat and our performance was disappointing really.

“I thought Rudiger and Batshuayi played the game properly and they were a credit to themselves, real professionals,” he added. “They showed a proper good attitude and were a great example to not only their players, but ours as well.

“That was a tough night for our defenders playing against Batshuayi and our forwards against Rudiger.

“The biggest crime from the game is if we don’t take anything from this. If we don’t learn from it, we don’t improve and don’t look to improve then that’s worse than the defeat.”

Liverpool were far from their best throughout proceedings and remain on the pursuit to see the team gel together after a few new faces were added to the fold through a rise in the ranks or in the transfer window.

“We looked a bit disjointed and we looked a new team playing for the first time on the pitch.

“We made quite a few changes from our last game and it does take time to build those relationships. We didn’t have that on the pitch, it will take time.

“But again, the boys have to show that right mentality every day in training and that willingness to learn.

“It was tough at times but we have to dust ourselves down, learn from it, move on and see if we can do better in the next game.”

That next game comes in the form of a trip to Southampton, who have one loss and one win to their name thus far, on Monday evening.

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