Injury-Hit Liverpool Close To Signing Celtic’s Target Defender On Deadline Day: Report

Injury-hit Liverpool FC have reached an agreement for Preston defender Ben Davies ahead of the January transfer window’s deadline day on Monday.

Liverpool have agreed to pay around $3 million to Preston, the club that competes in English soccer’s second-tier competition The Championship, and the move is subjective to Davies’ medical that is scheduled to take place Monday. As a part of the deal, the Reds’ young Netherlands defender Sepp van den Berg will move to the Deepdale Stadium on loan, unnamed sources have told Goal. However, the International Business Times could not verify it independently.

Premier League champions Liverpool have been majorly struck by injury woes in the ongoing season, especially in their defense department. Their first-choice center-back duo of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are currently sidelined with injuries and are not expected to return to action any time soon. Liverpool's back-up defender Joel Matip is highly prone to injuries with the latest one coming against Tottenham, where he was subbed off at half-time.

Earlier, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had said that the Anfield club will try to sign at least one defender before the deadline day.

After going without a win for five consecutive matches in the Premier League, Klopp’s boys have secured two back-to-back wins now in the competition, with the latest one coming against West Ham Sunday. A double strike from Mohamed Salah and a goal from Gini Wijnaldum helped Liverpool beat West Ham 3-1.

After the win at the London Stadium, Klopp in a post-match interview was quizzed about the 25-year-old Davies’ transfer situation. To which, the German boss responded, "Ben Davies, Tottenham... I have nothing to say about it. With this line-up it's not a problem, it's only if something else happens."

Davies’ current deal with Preston is due to expire in the summer of 2021 and in order to not let him leave as a free agent, the Championship club has agreed to strike a deal with Liverpool, while Scottish club Celtic have also shown interest in the center-back.