Liverpool Transfer News Roundup: Club touted to go after Serie A defender, forward attracting interest from Celtic, and more - 13th January 2021

Liverpool continue to be linked with defensive reinforcements but could miss out on a transfer target in January. Let’s take a look at the latest transfer news featuring Liverpool from 13 January 2021:

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Leipzig join the race to sign Liverpool target

Folarin Balogun’s impressive displays for the Arsenal under-23 team have caught Liverpool’s attention but it looks like the Reds are going to miss out on signing him.

As per Football Insider, RB Leipzig are leading the chase to sign Balogun, and have begun talks to sign the 19-year old. Balogun’s agent Emeka Obasi helped Ademola Lookman move to the Bundesliga in 2019, and as in this case, Leipzig was the destination back then too.

Balogun has failed to break into the Arsenal team in the Premier League despite his consistent performances for the Arsenal under-23 side. He has been restricted to domestic cup and Europa League games so far this season.

Exclusive: Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun has agreed a pre-contract with RB Leipzig. [@footyinsider247]

— Z (@ZRAFC) January 13, 2021

Liverpool forward attracting interest from Celtic

On loan Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi has had a good spell for Union Berlin so far this season and Celtic are reportedly interested in signing him.

Awoniyi is currently on loan with Union until the end of the season, and his contract with his parent club Liverpool runs till the summer of 2023.

As per 90min, Celtic are set to battle Rangers for the talented forward who could be sold by Liverpool in the summer. Rangers could have the upper hand because of the presence of Steven Gerrard, but it remains to be seen if they can fork out Liverpool’s asking price for the Nigerian.

So far this season, Awoniyi has scored five times in the Bundesliga with Union doing well and staying in contention to finish in the Champions League spots.

Report: Celtic and Rangers keen on Liverpool’s Taiwo Awoniyi https://t.co/rQxklcWqjM

— Football News 24 (@Footballnews090) January 13, 2021

Liverpool could look to sign Nikola Maksimovic

As per talkSPORT’s Jim White, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis believes Liverpool could turn their attention to Nikola Maksimovic.

The Reds have been hit by injuries this season, as they have played a majority of the season with just one senior centre-back in the team.

Maksimovic would be a cheaper and a more short-term alternative, and is likely to cost a lot less compared to his Napoli centre-back partner Kalidou Koulibaly.

Maksimovic’s contract with Napoli expires in July this year so the Reds will be able to sign him for a cut-price fee if they want to. The Serbian has made seven appearances in the Serie A so far this season.