Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham United are all reportedly keen on signing Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac and will make their moves in January.
The 23-year-old will be available on a free transfer next summer with his contract set to expire, but interested parties are able to open up discussions from January onwards.
According to Bild, Schalke are adamant that they will not lose another key player for nothing after seeing Joel Matip move to Anfield on a free transfer this past summer, but they may not have a choice if the player himself decides on a move elsewhere.
Kolasinac is a familiar name around Europe as he has impressed during his time with Schalke, but the report goes on to suggest that his agent is urging the Bundesliga outfit to offer him a new and improved contract and is perhaps using the speculation to their advantage.
Whether or not they have intentions of leaving remains to be seen, but it will quickly become apparent if they are keen on signing a new deal in the New Year.
Nevertheless, the move would make sense for Liverpool in particular as they look to find a long-term solution to their left-back problem.
Alberto Moreno has failed to convince on a consistent basis while James Milner has impressed but it isn’t his natural position.
In turn, a move for Kolasinac would be smart and boss Jurgen Klopp may have prior knowledge of him from during his time coaching Borussia Dortmund and coming up against Schalke.
While there are still doubts surrounding the situation, it will become clearer in January when clubs can make their approach for the player, but it would be a surprise to see Chelsea in the mix given their signing of Marcos Alonso this past summer.