Liverpool Transfer News: Jurgen Klopp Ends Martin Montoya Chase, Latest Rumours

New Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has reportedly told the club to ditch plans to make a move for Barcelona full-back Martin Montoya, after previous manager Brendan Rodgers had highlighted the young Spaniard as a potential addition to the club.

That's according to the Daily Mirror's Chris Hatherall, who reports the player may be available come January, as he's currently not getting enough playing time while on loan with Inter Milan.

Montoya moved to the Italian fashion capital in a complicated loan deal that will automatically be extended if he reaches a certain amount of matches, and in that case, Inter will have an option to make the move permanent at the end of the two-year spell, per the Catalans' official website.

The 24-year-old is yet to make his competitive debut for the Nerazzurri, but his agent Juan De Dios Carrasco maintains his immediate future lies in Italy, per Hatherall: “We believe he needs more time to adapt and there are no plans to leave. Barcelona have loaned him for two seasons and that remains the same.”

Montoya once looked like Barcelona's long-term answer at the right-back position, moving through the La Masia setup with ease and making his senior debut in 2011.

He started 11 La Liga matches in the 2012-13 season as the main backup to Dani Alves, per WhoScored, but his role never expanded beyond that point.

A move away from the club became all but inevitable as time passed, and he hardly played, and given his young age and intriguing potential, he was one of the most interesting low-risk investments of the summer.

Inter won the race for his signature, but so far, things haven't worked out for Montoya. Jordi Blanco of Sport even claimed the Italians were looking for a way to cancel the loan in September, and Montoya's playing time hasn't gone up since:

"

In total, in seven preseason games, Montoya has played 359 minutes with Inter, five starts and two substitute appearances, where he received criticism in Italy, where many media have suggested that the Catalan defender "doesn't have the minimum required level".

In fact, since the middle of August, there was speculation that the club were already looking for a replacement, considering he wasn't needed in the team.

"

Montoya's senior career started with a lot of promise, but at this point, he has shown too little to still be considered a prospect worthy of the Reds' attention.

What he needs most is a move to a club that is willing to give him the minutes he needs to regain his confidence and show he can still be a quality player.

At Anfield, the pressure to perform immediately would be too great, leading to a similar scenario as the one he currently faces in Italy.

Klopp Eyeing Riccardo Saponara?

Paolo Lazzeroni_Siena_2013 PAOLO/Associated Press

The Italian media just can't get enough of Klopp's arrival at Anfield, linking yet another player from the Peninsula to Anfield on Sunday. Calciomercatoweb (h/t Fichajes' Rafael Castro, via Metro's Tom Olver) believes the 23-year-old is on the Reds' radar after his impressive spell with Empoli last season.

Saponara previously played for AC Milan and was widely seen as one of the top talents in Italy, but for some reason, the Rossoneri allowed him to go on loan to Empoli, handing the latter club the option to make the move permanent. Saponara was excellent in his six months with Empoli, who naturally pulled the trigger on the clause.

He was so good, Juventus even thought about a transfer last summer, per David Amoyal, a translator for Gianluca Di Marzio.

Amoyal added these comments from the young midfielder on his situation with the Rossoneri:

Saponara is just the latest Italian being mentioned as a target of Klopp in the Italian press.

CalciomercatoNews (h/t Fichajes' Rafael Castro, via the Daily Mirror's Liam Corless) previously claimed the Reds want Juventus' Claudio Marchisio, and Calciomercato (h/t Metro's Will Giles) made the same claims regarding Sassuolo's Domenico Berardi.

So, does Klopp plan to raid Serie A in January? Perhaps, but it's far more likely the Italian media are just as enthusiastic about the German's hiring as Liverpool manager as the rest of us, and they're using his name to spread as many rumours as they can find.

Saponara is an excellent player, but he's a typical attacking midfielder, who needs to have the ball at his feet at all time. Liverpool already have Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino to occupy those spots, so it's highly doubtful they'll thrown a bunch of money at yet another attacking midfielder who won't be an immediate starter and looks like a good, but not a great prospect.

Follow @ReverschPass