Liverpool Transfer Latest With Reds Linked to Timo Werner, Denis Zakaria & Leon Bailey

Football's enforced sabbatical has put everything up in the air from Liverpool's title charge to the Champions League, the Euros, player contracts and much more.

Well, nearly everything. Like death and taxes, transfer rumours are inevitable, unstoppable and eternal.

With current events a quagmire of confusion and gossip columns to fill, talk of the summer transfer window has continued, including updates on a trio of potential Liverpool targets.

Here's the latest you need to know about the Reds' supposed interest in BuLi based stars Timo Werner, Denis Zakaria and Leon Bailey...

Timo Werner

The German forward, who has been a reported target of ​Liverpool for several years now, was enjoying his best season to date (with 27 goals in all competitions) prior to the coronavirus pandemic bringing European football to a grinding halt.

With a release clause of around £50m in his contract - supposedly effective until April - Werner has been making kissy faces at Liverpool in recent weeks, while ​the Reds supposedly lead the race for the 24-year-old ahead of Chelsea.

​The Athletic even say that the Blues have shifted focus to Lyon's Moussa Dembélé after conceding Werner to Liverpool.

Although all ​smart reporting suggests Liverpool won't break the bank for big-money signings this summer - preferring to focus on building superstars rather than buying them - there is a sense from those in the know that Werner would add something different to the Reds front line and be a necessary addition considering Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané will miss a chunk of next season due to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Likelihood rating: 7/10

For more on Liverpool's interest in Werner see here. 

Denis Zakaria

Next up on the week's Liverpool links is Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

The 23-year-old Switzerland international has established himself as one of the Bundesliga's best defensive midfielders over the last couple of seasons, and has been consistently linked with a big-money move to the great and good of Europe over the recent months.

German publication Bild speculated this week that financial troubles (brought on by the coronavirus pandemic) may force Gladbach to sell Zakaria to cover potential losses of €35m this season, with Liverpool mentioned as a potentially interested party.

Meanwhile, Sky Deutschland note that Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich, Dortmund and Man Utd are all also interested.

While there is little substance to the links at this stage - it's worth noting that Zakaria's position is not really a priority for Jürgen Klopp's team - a source has told ​90min that Liverpool maintain an interest in fellow Bundesliga midfielder Weston McKennie, who plays for Schalke 04. 

Likelihood rating: 4/10

For more on the reports linking Liverpool to Zakaria see here.

Leon Bailey 

Finally, a credibility-testing Daily Express exclusive puts Liverpool in the race for Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, who is valued at a whopping £85m.

​Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd are again all linked with the 22-year-old, who has started just seven Bundesliga games this season.

The young Jamaican has seven goals and just one assist in all competitions in 2019/20, operating on Leverkusen's left flank, but hasn't been a standout performer in Germany this year.

Bailey's valuation, if at all true, makes him an incredibly unlikely target for Liverpool, who would be unlikely to smash their own transfer record for an unproven performer in a position that doesn't really require much strengthening.

Likelihood rating: 1/10

For more on the (tenuous) reports linking Liverpool to Bailey ​see here.