Teun Koopmeiners: Things to know about the Netherlands international

Liverpool's love affair with midfield gem Georginio Wijnaldum looks as though it could be coming to an end, with the two parties seemingly unable to come to an agreement during contract negotiations.

With Wijnaldum appearing to be on his way out of Anfield, what better way to plug the midfielder gap he'll leave than with another talented Dutchman seven years his junior.

Teun Koopmeiners has been earning plaudits from all over Europe for a good few seasons now, and the AZ Alkmaar man is reportedly on the Reds' shortlist this summer as they look to bring in midfield reinforcements.

But who is Koopmeiners and what is there to know about him?

1. Appointed AZ Alkmaar captained aged 21

One of the best facets of Koopmeiners' game is his leadership ability, so much so that he was named as AZ Alkmaar's captain at just 21 years of age.

But don't be fooled into thinking he's the leader of a side brimming with veterans and so his job as captain is minimal - Alkmaar's squad is full of talented youngsters such as Owen Wijndal, Calvin Stengs and Myron Boadu, so Koopmeiners' role at the club his huge.

2. Recently made his senior international debut

Koopmeiners has been a regular in the Dutch youth teams over the past six years, though he was awarded his senior international cap last year.

He made his debut in the Netherlands' friendly with Mexico last October, with Wolves' Raul Jimenez handing his side a 1-0 win.

Koopmeiners has been tipped as the future of the Netherlands midfield alongside Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong.

3. Can fill in at centre-back

Ahhhh now Liverpool's sudden interest makes sense.

Not only would Koopmeiners be able to plug the gap left by Wijnaldum in their midfield, he can also fill in at centre-back and has done so on more than a handful of occasions over the past few seasons.

The Reds have endured an injury nightmare in defence this season and so the signing of Koopmeiners would provide extra backup were they ever to endure similar woes in the future.

4. Hit double figures in his last two league campaigns

One look at Koopmeiners' goalscoring stats from the last three campaigns will have Liverpool fans licking their lips at the prospect of signing him. The 23-year-old has bagged 30 goals in 77 outings - a stat made all the more impressive by the fact he's played a lot of games at centre-back.

But - and it's a big 'but' - a lot of those goals have come from the penalty spot, though it can't hurt to have an accomplished penalty taker in the side.

5. Style of play

Like a lot of Dutch midfielders, Koopmeiners' biggest strengths lie in his technical ability rather than his physical prowess.

He may not be particularly quick but his maturity and intelligence sets him apart from the rest of the AZ Alkmaar squad.

The 23-year-old is the orchestrator of his side's progressive play and he likes to sit deep in midfield and control the tempo of the game.

6. He's attracted Premier League interest before

Given the fact he's been his side's standout performer for many years now, it probably won't come as much of a surprise that Koopmeiners' been attracting interest from some big sides for quite a while.

Premier League clubs have been paying particular attention to his development with West Ham, Leeds and Everton all credited with an interest in securing his services.

However, the interest isn't limited to these shores, with Serie A giants Napoli, Roma and Inter also monitoring the youngster.