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This article is part of Football FanCast's In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets...

According to TRT Spor journalist Firat Gunayer, Liverpool and two other British clubs are interested in a move for Besiktas defensive midfielder Dorukhan Tokoz.

If a deal is to be completed, it will have to be done quickly. The transfer deadline is this Thursday, and as of now, the Reds have signed just four players and only one who looks likely to influence first-team proceedings - Adrian has been signed as Simon Mignolet's replacement, whilst teenage duo Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliott have arrived along with 35-year-old Andy Lonergan.

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Not many will have heard of Tokoz, as the defensive midfielder plies his trade over in the Super Lig with Besiktas, but the stats suggests he could be a fairly useful option to deputise for - and eventually replace - Fabinho.

Whilst we must consider the fact that the Premier League is arguably a more testing division than the Super Lig, it can't be denied that the Turkey international's statistics are quite impressive.

Fabinho arrived in a £39m deal from Monaco last summer and eventually became an important player for Jurgen Klopp, after a period of acclimatisation at the start of the campaign saw him partially left out.

Liverpool recorded 97 points in the league last term, and the Brazil international was a big part of their success as well as their Champions League glory.

He averaged 2.1 tackles per game and one interception per game from a defensive midfield role, but as good as he was, Tokoz's stats are far better.

The 23-year-old - two years younger than Fabinho - excelled for Besiktas last term, bettering the former Real Madrid man's numbers in every department detailed above.

We're by no means suggesting that the Turk will oust Fabinho from his role at Anfield if he signed, but there is definitely enough to suggest that Tokoz could succeed the No.3 at Liverpool and learn from an expert in his position on Merseyside.

It should also be noted that there isn't really another player of Fabinho's type at Liverpool currently, although there is also only one place on the teamsheet for a deep-lying defensive midfielder in Klopp's 4-3-3 system.

With this knowledge in mind, Tokoz acting as Fabinho's understudy, learning from the Brazilian and being the heir to his throne at Liverpool would be the best course of action if the Reds did get this deal over the line.

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