Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Inaki Williams, Top Rumours

Liverpool are reportedly prepared to pay the £44.6 million release clause to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Inaki Williams. Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is said to consider 22-year-old Williams his top target in the January transfer window.

The report comes from Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (h/t Gary Stonehouse of the Sun). It stated Klopp views Williams as excellent value for money, despite the hefty release clause. The Anfield chief is also said to be anxious not to miss his chance of snapping up one of football's brighter young things.

Williams has shown exciting potential in the last two seasons. He helped himself to eight goals and a trio of assists in Spain's top flight last season, according to WhoScored.com.

The winger's form has also gained him growing recognition at the international level. He received a first senior cap back in May, having previously collected eight with Spain's under-21 side, per Stonehouse.

More importantly, Williams fits with the type of attacking team Klopp has been building on Merseyside. Specifically, his Liverpool squads have prized pace, incisive movement and quick exchanges of passes in and around the final third.

There's no doubt Williams would fit well in this style of play, thanks to his lightning speed and perceptive off-the-ball runs. He's also flexible enough to operate from both the left and right flanks, versatility that would prove crucial in the type of fluid forward line Klopp has assembled.

Swift breaks and rapid combinations up front have long been the hallmarks of Klopp's philosophy. They are characteristics he used well with former club Borussia Dortmund.

One player who benefited from Klopp's methods in the Bundesliga is current Dortmund goal-getter Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Sky Sports' Football Whispers believes Williams could perform an Aubameyang-style role if he joins Liverpool:

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Although he's a natural forward he's shown at Bilbao that he can play anywhere behind the striker. Klopp may use him like he used Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the 2014/15 season at Borussia Dortmund. Liverpool operate with a narrow attacking system meaning even though Williams may start wide, much like Aubameyang did, he'll be influencing the play centrally and getting beyond the striker.

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The same analysis also noted how Williams shares many attributes with current Liverpool wide forward Sadio Mane. It's no wonder the Reds have reportedly been on Williams' case for quite a while.

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In fact, the Guardian's Ed Aarons credited Liverpool with a scouting brief on the winger back in January. Aarons also mentioned how north London duo Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were on the case. So it makes sense for Klopp to want to move quickly.

Having another quick winger buzzing around creative Brazilians Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino would surely make an already free-scoring team one of the most prolific in the Premier League.

It's how Klopp has been building Liverpool so far, with the emphasis on what's created up front. Investing heavily in Williams would merely continue the forward-thinking policy.