Liverpool have already signed a player from PSV Eindhoven in the last 12 months – could they repeat the trick in this transfer window?

The current market for defensive midfielders is stifling the pockets of football clubs in the Premier League and Liverpool are among them. They cannot afford to lick their wounds after the bruising defeat in the battles for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, after Chelsea seemingly scooped the pair’s services for a combined £170m.

Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have formed part of Jurgen Klopp’s midfield rebuild, but he was handed a greater task when the prospect of replacing Jordan Henderson and Fabinho emerged.

Mac Allister made his Reds debut in the base of the midfield three at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, however after Anthony Taylor blew the final whistle, it became even more clear that a specific defensive midfield addition is needed.

The Argentine played well in the position but it is evident that the role restricts the World Cup-winning midfielder from showcasing the qualities that saw him prompt Liverpool to make him their first summer signing.

Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni – a target last season – Lavia and Caicedo are all big-money transfers that Liverpool have missed out on during the last 12 months. Yet could there be a bubbling Premier League move that the Reds could swoop in on surrounding Nottingham Forest?

The City Ground club may have finished above the relegation zone last season but their transfer targets should not be dismissed. A player firmly in the crosshairs of Steve Cooper’s side is PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare.

Voetbal International via Nottingham Post have reported that a second Forest bid, worth £21.5m, has been rejected by the Eredivisie giants for the 25-year-old midfielder. There are suggestions a deal is there to be done – if an apparent £32m release clause is matched.

This week Liverpool have been credited with interest in the Ivory Coast international. Someone close to the midfielder cited the Reds among three European giants – along with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich – circling the Dutch club for their defensive midfielder.

Sangare had been likened to Yaya Toure and Michael Essien during his formative years with FC Toulouse – in recent seasons, there have been stylistic comparisons to Yves Bissouma and recent Chelsea recruit Lesley Ugochukwu.

The desperation is creeping in for Liverpool to sign a ball-winning defensive midfielder and Sangare appears to have the credentials to fill that gap. Last season, no player won possession in the final third more than the 25-year-old in the Eredivisie as the midfielder dispossessed opponents 158 times.

Mac Allister made three tackles in West London on Sunday – but last season, Sangare was averaging 3.7 tackles per game and boasted a tackle success rate of 80.2 percent. Signing the Ivorian wouldn’t be a case of acquiring a midfielder and Klopp fielding him in an unnatural position; 122 of his 136 games at PSV came from defensive midfield.

While Fabinho broke the mould and set the ceiling for line-breaking defensive midfield runs, there’s still some way to go for Sangare to do that. But he showed glimpses with 1.23 per 90 minutes progressive carries in the last 12 months, listing him in the 53rd percentile. Although, his progressive passing broke the 91st percentile with 7.64 per 90 minutes, with a pass success rate exceeding 90 per cent.

Liverpool would not have an entirely clear run at Sangare with PSG, Bayern Munich and Premier League opponents, Nottingham Forest, among those in the hunt if reports are to be believed.

But there is an element of possibility that a deal could be struck this summer. PSV manager, Peter Bosz, admitted last week that there is still a chance that the midfielder will leave the Phillips-Stadion before the deadline on September 1.

“That he can still leave, it’s true,” he said. “We all know that. I think he is playing well. He is not distracted by what might be going on. No, I have no influence on that. But I hope he is retained.”

Former Boeren boss and Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has openly talked up the quality of the midfielder, tipping him to “go to the top” in the English top flight.

“Obviously he can handle [the Premier League],” Van Nistelrooy told Voetbal International. “I have challenged him because I think Ibrahim can go to the top in England. He would also be great in Italy or Spain.

“I see players in his position there now and I think Ibrahim is definitely going to take a shot at that level.”

For now, Liverpool have limited public options that could appease the clamour for a third signing of the summer. What is clear is the need for further additions in the engine room in the next two weeks, and Sangare has shown credentials that he could anchor the midfield at a price the Reds are traditionally happy to pay.