Jurgen Klopp has reportedly identified a potential successor to a player Liverpool are believed to be willing to sell for the right price.
According to The Mirror, Anthony Patterson is on the Reds manager’s radar as the 23-year-old has produced a series of impressive performances for Sunderland.
The Merseyside club are believed to be prepared to cash in on the Republic of Ireland international if the £20m asking price is met, with the 25-year-old a long-term target of former Anfield boss Brendan Rodgers, at Celtic.
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Despite being two years Kelleher’s junior, Patterson has made more than three times as many appearances as his Liverpool counterpart (Transfermarkt), and the boyhood Sunderland fan benefits from being first choice at the Wearside club.
A return of eight clean sheets and just 30 goals conceded in 27 Championship appearances this season is very respectable from the 23-year-old (Transfermarkt), even though he has yet to play at a higher level than the second English division.
If the Reds want to do without the Irishman, it would be imperative that they only do so once they have a suitable successor in the bag, with the Cork native being one of the most reliable secondary goalkeepers in the Premier League.
At 25 and unable to displace Alisson Becker at Liverpool or Gavin Bazunu for his country, Kelleher may see this summer as the right time to try and establish himself as a first choice elsewhere.
It’s a tough dilemma for the Reds, who won’t want to lose such a reliable presence but may also be reluctant to stand in his way if they want to test themselves elsewhere, but Patterson would appear to be a solid replacement if it comes down to it.
The burning question then is whether the Sunderland stopper would be happy to give up a starting role at his boyhood club to be Alisson’s understudy at Anfield. If he is willing to accept such a scenario, that could be a major hurdle overcome in LFC’s alleged pursuit of him.
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