Nurnberg chief addresses Stefanos Tzimas rumours as Liverpool make first moves for 19y/o | OneFootball

On Monday, reports emerged of Liverpool showing a firm interest in FC Nürnberg centre-forward Stefanos Tzimas.

According to reliable Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, the Reds have begun talks with the 2.Bundesliga club and have also spoken to the teenage striker’s representatives about the possibility of a move to Anfield.

The 19-year-old is actually on loan at Miroslav Klose’s side from PAOK Salonika, although FCN plan to active their option to purchase him with the intention of selling him on for a profit in the summer.

Nürnberg chief insists Tzimas won’t be leaving in January

Nürnberg sporting director Olaf Rebbe spoke to German outlet Bild about Tzimas’ situation and insisted that they won’t be parting with the Greek forward this month, although he suggested that they could be open to doing business after the end of the season.

The 46-year-old stated: “We won’t give up any top performers in the winter, but with a view to the summer, we are of course already looking at a few options.”

The purchase option for the teenager stands at €18m (£15.1m), although Liverpool are reportedly prepared to pay as much as €30m (£25.2m) to secure him.

(Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)

What would Liverpool be getting if they were to sign Tzimas?

Tzimas only turned 19 last week but is already closing in on 50 senior career appearances between PAOK and Nürnberg, for whom he’s scored eight goals this season to keep his team in contention for a promotion play-off berth (Transfermarkt).

A profile of the Greek striker on The Guardian describes him as a quick-thinking, ambidextrous and pacy forward who’s physically mature for his young age, and his considerable exposure to first-team football should stand him in good stead if he does move to a major European league later this year.

He’s played in the Conference League with his parent club, but whether he’d be ready for the significant step up to Liverpool is another matter, with Arne Slot already boasting a formidable array of attacking options.

If the Reds were to snap him up in the summer, it seems likely that they’d loan him out first – possibly to a club in one of Europe’s top divisions, or a bottom-half Premier League side – before fully integrating him into the first-team picture.

At surface level it doesn’t appear as though LFC have any great need for Tzimas, especially if they’d have to pay around £25m for him, but perhaps the Anfield hierarchy see something in him further down the line which’d make him an astute purchase if they were to sign him in the coming months.