Within seconds of the January transfer window closing, fans up and down the country were already looking ahead to the summer. Liverpool fans in particular are excited about the future, with Leipzig’s Naby Keita already secured ahead of next season.

Still, Reds fans were left aggrieved by the club’s January business, mainly due to the loss of Philippe Coutinho. Liverpool looked to finally be making positive steps when they signed Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk for a record fee at the start of the window, only to let their best player leave seemingly without any plan to replace him. Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah have all flourished even in Coutinho’s absence, but an injury to any of the three would present a huge problem for Jürgen Klopp.

While a goalkeeper is surely top of the priority list for the summer, the reds should be seeking much more if they want to truly compete with the Manchester clubs, and they should be starting their shopping at Bayer Leverkusen. The German club currently sit fourth in the Bundesliga, a feat representative of the impressive array of young talent they have assembled.

Liverpool have been linked with Bayer’s Jonathan Tah in the past, a towering young centre back with all the skills needed to flourish alongside Van Dijk. Valued at €25 million on transfermarkt.com, Tah has decent pace for his size, a dominant physique, and the ball playing abilities to succeed in a team that often enjoys a large share of the possession.

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The reds were also strongly linked with a move for Bayer’s Julian Brandt last year, but it is two of Brandt’s attacking teammates they should really be looking at. 20 year-old Leon Bailey has electrified the Bundesliga this year, grabbing nine goals and adding five assists. The tricky winger would rotate perfectly with Mane and Salah, has bags of pace, and is still young enough to be another addition to the long list of Klopp projects. Valued at €28million by transfermarkt.com, the Jamaican ticks every box.

Finally, and perhaps the cream of the crop, comes Kai Havertz. Havertz has been less prominent than Bailey and Brandt this year, but is still just 18-years-old.

The youngster has played both as an attacking midfielder and more central this season, and while he wouldn’t be a direct replacement for someone like Coutinho he would certainly add some youthful swagger and creativity to the reds’ midfield. It is hardly far fetched to think a player who has grown up watching Klopp’s development with Mainz and Dortmund could relish the opportunity to work with the German at Liverpool.

Whether or not Liverpool adds to their first team this summer is yet to be seen. Fans have often felt it’s one step forward two steps back under the current ownership, though the signing of Naby Keita should go some way to fixing that.

One thing is for sure, though; they could do worse than looking to Bayer Leverkusen for additions.

Liverpool fans, what do you think?