Newcastle had a deal agreed with Schalke to sign Ozan Kabak from Schalke before Liverpool hijacked the move, reports have claimed. The shock story has emerged in light of Liverpool's agreement for Kabak with the player due on Merseyside tonight to finalise his move.
Liverpool will sign Kabak for an initial loan fee of £1million and have an option to make the deal permanent this summer for £18m.
He's a player they've been monitoring closely following conversations between David Wagner and Jurgen Klopp.
The former Huddersfield boss, who worked under Klopp during his time at Dortmund, has offered glowing reviews of Kabak from his time in the hot-seat at the Veltins Arena.
Michael Edwards swooped in quickly to agree a deal on transfer deadline day, as he looks to solve Liverpool's defensive crisis.
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Joe Willock has agreed to join on loan from Arsenal after the Magpies missed out on Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
The Gunners utility man is heading to West Brom on loan until the end of the season, as he looks to boost his hopes of inclusion in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the European Championships this summer.
Hamza Choudhury is now set to stay at Leicester, who were unable to sign a replacement after talks with Watford for Nathaniel Chalobah brokedown.
Kabak would have been a stellar acquisition for Newcastle, who have previously fallen short in pursuit of top targets under Bruce.
Newcastle reportedly had a deal in place to sign Ozan Kabak (Image: GETTY)
They came close to landing Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare a year ago but saw a £35m bid rejected by the Ligue 1 outfit.
Meanwhile, Kabak has already passed his medical ahead of his move to Liverpool.
The Reds organised the checks to be completed in Gelsenkirchen and Kabak has also signed his contract.
Upon arrival in Merseyside, he will finalise the finer details of the move and work with Liverpool's media team on his unveiling.