Liverpool are close to their first summer signing with Kostas Tsimikas expected to join later this week.
The Greece international played for Olympiakos in a 1-0 defeat by Wolves in the second leg of their last-16 Europa League tie this week as his side went out 2-1 on aggregate.
He also played for them in their six Champions League group games earlier on in the campaign as they finished third behind Bayern Munich and Tottenham.
After Olympiakos dropped down into the Europa League, he put in an impressive performance as his side won 2-1 at Arsenal and knocked the Gunners out of the competition at the last-32 stage.
Andy Robertson represents Liverpool’s only senior natural left-back and a backup has been needed for a while now. James Milner can also fill in there but he is now approaching the twilight of his career. This was what necessitated the European champions’ search for a left-back this summer.
The Reds were initially keen on signing Jamal Lewis from already relegated Norwich but both clubs were unable to strike a deal after a £10m offer rejected by Norwich City.
Liverpool were prepared to bid no further, again highlighting a financial frugality in the market due to COVID-19. They also missed up on signing Timo Werner due to their reluctance to pay his full release clause.
Tsimikas will arrive in Merseyside soon to put finishing touches to the move.
Liverpool have been watching Tsimikas for a long time, as they believe he has the quality to develop into a world-class defender and also thinks he represents great value in the current economic climate.
Liverpool first came across Tsimikas in 2017/18 when he was on loan at Dutch club Willem II at the same time as Chirivella. They have been watching Tsimikas closely ever since and scouting reports and data suggest he has what it takes to be more than just a back up for first-choice left-back Andy Robertson.
Tsimikas and Chirivella spent a season playing together at Willem II. Next season, Tsimikas will be playing for Liverpool while Chirivella has signed for Nantes.
