Rennes are in talks to sign Lens centre-back Loic Bade, according to the French club’s sporting director Florian Maurice.

The defender has been compared to another former Lens player, Raphael Varane, and he has been monitored by Liverpool, Arsenal, Sevilla and AC Milan, but Maurice says he is hoping to get a deal over the line:

“We are in discussions (with Bade). He is a target that was identified very early on. He is a player we want to bring to Stade Rennais. Discussions between clubs can take a long time. I hope we get there. The player wants to come.”

While Bade may well be keen on a switch to Rennes, there is no guarantee that a move will go ahead. Lens are demanding around £22m and that is not a figure any team is prepared to pay at the moment.

From a Liverpool perspective, it is unlikely that the Merseyside club will get involved in a bidding war. The Reds have already signed one centre-half in Ibrahima Konate this summer, and they have the likes of Nat Phillips, Ben Davies and Rhys Williams on the books who can provide cover for Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.