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Liverpool are among a few top clubs keeping tabs on Southampton’s Armel Bella-Kotchap, according to reports.

The Saints took the centre-back from VfL Bochum in the summer and offered him a four-year deal. He has made five league starts, and assisted Ché Adams’ equaliser in his side’s 2-1 win over Leicester City.

Bella-Kotchap’s displays for Southampton have seen him receive a first senior call up from Germany for this month’s international break. It has also drawn attention from top clubs, including Liverpool.

Fichajes.net state the Reds, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich ‘closely follow the evolution’ of the 20-year-old at Southampton. Jürgen Klopp is an ‘admirer’ of his compatriot and sees him as a long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk at Anfield.

The Liverpool coach currently has Van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté at his disposal. The Frenchman has been out of action due to a knee injury since August, while Gomez has had a poor start to the season.

According to the website, Gomez’s situation could open the door for Klopp to sign a new centre-back in the short term. This is where Bella-Kotchap could fit in, but for now the Merseyside club are only following the Southampton player closely.

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