Liverpool hold an “interest” in no less than five forwards ahead of the summer transfer window, according to HITC.

Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise, who is also attracting interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, is said to be among the players being watched, along with Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, Wolves’ Pedro Neto, Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.

However, any pursuit of Gyokeres is believed to be dependent on Ruben Amorim being appointed as Jurgen Klopp’s successor in the Reds’ dugout.

The pair have struck up a very good relationship since Gyokeres arrived at Sporting Lisbon from Coventry City last year and HITC claim that Amorim may consider taking the Swedish international with him if he becomes Liverpool manager.

What about the other 4 Liverpool targets?

Olise is a left-footed right winger, and like Pedro Neto, he could be targeted if Mo Salah leaves the club at the end of the season. The Egyptian has a year left on his contract and he is being pursued by teams in Saudi Arabia.

Olise does have a release clause, and it is said to be below £60m. Nico Williams, meanwhile, also has a buyout fee of around €50m (£43m).

Wirtz is probably the least likely to move clubs this summer. Liverpool and Manchester City have been mentioned among the potential suitors but he is expected to stay at Leverkusen for at least one more year.

Diaz’s future at Anfield

Salah is not the only forward player who could leave the Reds in the near future, with Luis Diaz having been heavily linked with a switch to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Colombian international’s inconsistent performances have prompted suggestions he could be sold on the proviso that a team meets his £75m asking price.

If Diaz were offloaded, it would add even greater urgency to reinforcing the frontline, and that may explain why the club are keeping an eye on so many targets.