Liverpool are stepping up their interest in Lille starlet Sofiane Boufal, who has been branded the "new Eden Hazard," but the race for Borussia Monchengladbach's Granit Xhaka has taken a turn for the worse.
French magazine France Football reported the Reds will seek to exploit their "good relationship" with Lille in a bid to land Boufal, who has also drawn attention from Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur (h/t Liverpool Echo's Joe Rimmer).
Prising Boufal away from Lille may prove difficult, however, considering it's been a little less than a year since the 22-year-old signed from Angers in January 2015, with another three-and-a-half years remaining on his contract.