Liverpool to sign Championship centre-back?

Liverpool have been fancied to sign Preston North End defender Ben Davies before Monday's transfer deadline.

The Reds are currently in a centre-back crisis with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez ruled out with season-ending injuries.

Joel Matip is sidelined for a while with an ankle ligament damage while Fabinho is also in the treatment room at the moment.

Hence, Jordan Henderson has often been required in a makeshift role alongside Nat Phillips or Rhys Williams, who are inexperienced at the Premier League level.

The likes of Issa Diop, Romain Saiss and Shkodran Mustafi have all been linked with the Reds, but The Mail claims that they are looking to land the services of Davies.

The 25-year-old, who can also play as a left-back, has been a top target for Celtic and he has been fancied to join them when his contract expires in the summer.

However, the Reds are planning to steal the march and are prepared to pay £2m to sign him this month.

They are willing to send Sepp van den Berg in the opposite direction on a short-term loan.