Stephan El Shaarawy Reportedly Lined Up by Liverpool for January Transfer

Liverpool are being linked with a January move for AC Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawy, according to reports in both England and Italy.

Calciomercato suggests that the Reds are set to take on Manchester City in pursuit of the Milan star, who is set to return from injury in the next fortnight, per Football Italia.

TalkSPORT says of a possible Reds move in January:

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Liverpool are considering a shock move for AC Milan star Stephan El Shaarawy, it has been reported.

The 20-year-old is regularly linked with transfers away from the San Siro despite insisting he is happy at the club.

He is already a regular for the Italian national team and has established himself as a key player at Milan, where he scored 16 goals in 37 Serie A outings last term.

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The 20-year-old found the back of the net 19 times for the Rossoneri last season but has struggled for goalscoring form since the signing of Mario Balotelli in January, scoring just twice since his teammate's arrival.

At his best, though, the Italy international offers a major threat from his wide forward position thanks to his combination of pace, technique and finishing ability.

Liverpool will surely need to remain well in contention for a top-four place in the Premier League come January if they are to persuade the youngster to head to Anfield.

With the likes of City reportedly interested, it is unlikely that Europa League football would entice El Shaarawy to move clubs—regardless of Milan's current struggles.

If Liverpool could persuade the Italian to move, his capture would represent a major coup for the club as they continue to build toward regularly challenging for titles in the future.

Thus far, Brendan Rodgers' revolution at Anfield is heading in the right direction—with the signings of talented young players Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Mamadou Sakho all impressive captures over the past 12 months.

Were they able to bring in El Shaarawy, who would likely replace Victor Moses in Rodgers' nominal first XI, they would be significantly improved once more.

Approaches for Willian and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the summer showed that the Reds and their American owners would be willing to part with big money if a major talent becomes available.

Getting a deal across the line when competing with some of football's richest clubs, though, will be the difficult test once more.