Liverpool's emphatic 7-0 win over their bitter rivals Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday left the club within three points of the top four.

The Reds would go level with Tottenham Hotspur if they win their game in hand and Jurgen Klopp's side have a strong chance to qualify for the Champions League if they can build on their superb win at the weekend.

Their end-of-season fate could play a role in their summer transfer business as qualifying for Europe's premier competition could help their attempts to land their top targets, given that they would be able to offer top-level football - instead of the Europa League or the Conference League.

One player the club are reportedly interested in signing later this year is RB Leipzig central defender Josko Gvardiol. Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that the club are keen on the Croatia international, despite failing to snap him up in January, ahead of the summer window.

How good is Josko Gvardiol?

Klopp could land a big upgrade on one of his current centre-back options - Joel Matip - by securing a deal to sign the Bundesliga star ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

In the German top-flight this season, the 21-year-old defender has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.89 across 21 appearances. He has won 58% of his individual duels and completed 89% of his passes, which shows that the youngster has been reliable in and out of possession for Leipzig.

The 19-cap machine also caught the eye at the World Cup with Croatia by averaging a hugely impressive Sofascore rating of 7.16 across seven appearances in Qatar for his country.

Former Arsenal defender Johan Djourou, who played 99 times in the Premier League, lauded the Leipzig star during the World Cup by describing him as "scary" and a "hulk kind of monster".

Matip, meanwhile, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.67 - ranking 19th in the squad - across 11 appearances in the English top-flight for Liverpool this season - winning 51% of his duels and completing 86% of his attempted passes.

Gvardiol and the Reds defender both rank in the top 8% of players in their position in Europe's top five leagues and European competition over the last 365 days in progressive passes per 90, which shows that they both excel at forward passing out from the back to build attacks for their sides.

However, the Croatian defender's average performance level in the Bundesliga, and on the biggest stage of all at the World Cup, suggests that he would provide more defensive quality to Liverpool's backline than Matip, whilst also being ten years younger and offering more long-term value to Klopp's side.

That said, he could cost around £97m, an extortionate sum of money that may well be out of the reach of FSG.