Rennes winger Paul-Georges Ntep is reported to have visited Liverpool on two occasions recently, in what would seem to be a precursor to a summer move to Anfield, as L'Equipe reported.
The 22-year-old has had a stellar season for the Ligue 1 side, scoring nine times and making five assists, in just 26 league starts. As a result of his form, the interest in Ntep has heightened, with both Liverpool and Spurs tracking the player.
It is believed that a fee of £3.5m would be enough to prise away the French under 21 international, with Rennes looking to make a profit on the player they bought from Auxerre in January of last year.
It might seem a strange move for Liverpool to go for, having invested heavily in attacking midfielders at the start of the season, as seen from the arrivals of both Lazar Markovic and Adam Lallana.
However, with the future of Raheem Sterling still very much up in the air, Ntep may be moulded as a potential successor to the England international's throne at Anfield. Sterling, with one year left on his current contract, has rejected the club's offer of opening negotiations on a new deal, sparking speculation that he could be part of a £50m deal to either Manchester City, Arsenal or Real Madrid.
Ntep is a lively wide player, much in the same style of Yannick Bolasie, who would be a perfect fit to the fast pace of the Premier League and a move for the Frenchman looks a tidy bit of business.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is still focused on the unlikely mission of directing the club to Champions League qualification, but with a top four finish a mere pipedream now, the Northern Irishman can already start to think about his summer transfer shopping.