Liverpool need to sign new midfielders after the trio of departees exited Anfield this summer, and relegated Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse has been earmarked.
That's according to the Daily Mail, who claim that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is prepared to play the waiting game for Saints' set-piece sorcerer as he eyes a £25m move following their plummet from the Premier League.
The report states that while the south coast club are demanding £50m for their most coveted asset, the Reds are only willing to pay half of such a figure and could wait for the closing stages of the transfer window when the valuation is likely to depreciate.
Newcastle United and West Ham United are also interested in the 28-year-old, but Liverpool could continue the midfield revolution by completing the move and enticing Ward-Prowse with a starring role at the prestigious outfit.
Klopp's side have already completed their first signing of the 2023 summer transfer window, landing Brighton & Hove Albion's World Cup-winning dynamo Alexis Mac Allister for a bargain £35m.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed that the Merseyside outfit are still scouring the market for two more centre-midfielders to bolster the fold following James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's contractual conclusions.
The former, Milner, will be a sorely missed presence at Anfield; while none of the aforementioned trio have cemented starting berths in Klopp's system with regularity over the past few seasons, a wealth of experience and leadership ability has been sapped from the ranks.
Milner is one such galvanising presence, having signed for the club on a free transfer from Manchester City and played an instrumental role in the illustrious success of recent years after making 332 appearances, hailed as "exceptional" by Klopp.
The 37-year-old's absence calls for a new man to lead by example, and few can play the role of "leader" better than Ward-Prowse, as he has been dubbed by teammate Kyle Walker-Peters.
Despite suffering the drop this term, the 28-year-old has been the centrepiece of Southampton's endeavours over the past several seasons and has plundered 55 goals and 53 assists from 409 outings for the club.
Indeed, as per Sofascore, he has recorded an impressive average league rating of 7.23 this term, scoring nine goals and supplying four assists, completing 85% of his passes, averaging two key passes, 1.4 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per outing.
Described as "magic" by journalist Benjy Nurick, the 11-cap England international is one of the most devastating dead-ball specialists in world football and needs to score just one more direct free-kick to equal David Beckham's all-time Premier League record of 18.
It's just another string to the bow, one that Liverpool could certainly benefit from having lost an assured delivery specialist in Milner, but it's the multi-dimensional approach to Ward-Prowse's game that could be invaluable in reigniting the robustness of the Reds centre.
Therefore, if Liverpool were to tie up a deal for a midfielder such as Ward-Prowse, it could turn out to be a shrewd acquisition for Klopp and co, and the perfect way to rejuvenate the ranks and replace Milner with a 'leader' to continue to galvanise the troops.