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Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott is of interest to RB Leipzig this summer as a potential replacement for the Dutch number 10 Xavi Simons, who only made his stay in Germany permanent in January.
However, there has so far been no official bid for Simons and he has rejoined his teammates for pre-season training, according to BILD. Chelsea is keen to sign the 22-year-old, but there is said to be a difference in valuations between the two sides as things stand.
Chelsea would like to pay $67 million (£50 million) but Leipzig is demanding $81 million (£60 million). That doesn't feel a million miles apart, so a compromise could be reached, but Simons could feature for his current club in a friendly against Lens this weekend.
While Leipzig has held discussions with Elliott's camp to assess whether or not he might be interested in moving to the Bundesliga, it would need to sell Simons first.
Though it is not short of cash — or certainly won't be when Benjamin Sesko completes a move to Manchester United worth up to $99 million (£74 million) — it would need to free up space on its roster to bring Elliott in.
In the winter window just gone, Leipzig paid PSG a fee of $58 million (£43 million) to make Simons' loan spell permanent. He had been with the Red Bull side for 18 months at that point.
"If I had it my way, I would be [at Liverpool] for the rest of my career, it's as simple as that," Elliott told The Anfield Wrap in Asia this summer. "I love everything about the club.
"But at the same time, I kind of need to be selfish and see what's best for me. I have big ambitions. I want to get in the World Cup squad. I want to keep being successful as a player. It's something I still need to review.
"I need to have a talk with everyone and review the situation. We have many new players who have come in, so whether it blocks the path for me, I'm not sure. It's something I need to have a look at and decide."
Liverpool has spent a club-record $155 million (£116 million) on Florian Wirtz, an elite number 10, this summer. And last season, Dominik Szoboszlai was preferred to Elliott, who wasn't a first pick under Arne Slot.
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"I think it’s a situation that me and the team on my behalf have to have a conversation about," Elliott admitted before being England's star man at the U21 European Championship.
"I’m coming into an age now where I’m 22, I’m gonna be 23 next season, and I don’t really want to be wasting years in my career because it’s a short career, you don’t know what’s gonna happen.
"Injuries and things could shorten it. So I think it’s a situation that, as I’ve said before, I need to reflect, I need to see if I’m content in doing what I’m doing, and how I can improve as a player."
Liverpool.com says: Unfortunately, it is the right time for Elliott to move on. He will not be doing so on the cheap, however. Leipzig will need to table a substantial offer for Liverpool to let its number 19 take the next step in his career.
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