Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Sevilla centre-back Diego Carlos this summer.
The 27-year-old only joined his current club from Nantes ahead of the current season, but Julen Lopetegui's side are seemingly now facing a battle to keep hold of the defender.
Liverpool are thought to have identified Carlos as a potential replacement for Dejan Lovren, who continues to be linked with a move away from Anfield ahead of this summer's transfer window.
However, the Reds will allegedly face competition for the Brazilian as both Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been linked with his services ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the South American.
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Born in Sao Paulo, Carlos turned out for America, Desportivo Brasil and Sao Paulo during his youth career before joining Portuguese club Estoril in 2014, also spending time on loan with Porto's B side.
The centre-back made his name with Nantes, though, representing the French outfit on 108 occasions in all competitions, including 97 times in Ligue 1 over the course of three impressive seasons.
A number of clubs were linked with the defender's services last summer, but Sevilla ultimately secured a deal at the end of May, with Carlos joining the La Liga outfit for the 2019-20 campaign.
The centre-back has only missed two La Liga games for Sevilla this term and one of those was through suspension. Indeed, he has been a constant for the Spanish outfit in the league, while he has also featured on four occasions in the Europa League during the 2019-20 campaign.
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There is allegedly a £64m release clause in the Brazilian's deal, and it seems likely that Sevilla would demand that figure in full as he has a contract at the Estadio Ramon until the summer of 2024.
Carlos recently denied suggestions that there had been contact from Liverpool, telling Mundo Deportivo: "So far, my agent has not spoken to me about those situations. I am not interested to know about other teams.
"I always tell him that, if he is going to tell me something, that it be something firm, that he does not come to me with stories, because I must have my head focused on Sevilla. I don't want those things to cause me a distraction."
The defender also told the same publication that he was "very happy" at the Estadio Ramon and would only leave "to go to a much bigger club".
There is certainly an opening in the Liverpool squad for a new centre-back, especially if Lovren leaves. Joel Matip started the campaign as Virgil van Dijk's preferred partner but injuries allowed Joe Gomez to cement a spot at the back with Lovren very much out of the picture.
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Carlos's statistics across the board are also extremely impressive; indeed, he has a pass success rate of 82.6% in La Liga this season, winning an average of 2.6 aerials per match.
The centre-back has also averaged just over five clearances per game in La Liga this term, while his shots per game average is 1.3 in the Europa League during the 2019-20 campaign.
The fact that Carlos is 27 but has not yet made an appearance for Brazil means that he has somewhat gone under the radar but his form this season has led to a host of interest.
Standing at 6ft 1in, the South American has the frame generally required to be a defensive force in the Premier League, while his ability on the ball has also made a huge impression since arriving in Seville.
Liverpool will seemingly have a battle on their hands if they wish to complete a deal, though, with Real Madrid and Barcelona also believed to be in the running, meaning that Klopp's side will likely have to fight hard in order to secure a potential centre-back partner for Van Dijk.
Matt Law
