Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will set record straight with Villa
Liverpool are said to have decided they will trigger their option to buy Ozan Kabak from Schalke. The Turkish international now looks at home at Anfield after an uneasy start to life in the Premier League and the Reds are delighted with his progress in recent weeks.
Kabak arrived on transfer deadline day in January on an initial six-month loan from the Bundesliga strugglers.
He was initially short of confidence given the sheer number of goals Schalke conceded in the first half of the season but he slowly began to prove his worth under Jurgen Klopp.
Before the 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid, Kabak was part of a Liverpool backline that kept four consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.
The 21-year-old has formed an impressive partnership with Nat Phillips in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip following Jordan Henderson's groin injury against Everton in February.
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Kabak has already hinted that he considers his long-term future to be with Liverpool by highlighting the importance of a top-four finish.
"In the Premier League, at this stage we need to win every game," the centre-back told Liverpool's website ahead of this afternoon's clash with Aston Vila.
"Obviously the Madrid game is huge for us in the Champions League, but we will concentrate on the Aston Villa game and we will be there for the win.
"We have eight games remaining in the Premier League and obviously in the Champions League we will decide how many games we're going to play.
Liverpool look set to sign Ozan Kabak permanently (Image: GETTY)
"We don't have any points to lose and we just need to win every game. This huge club needs to be in the Champions League next year, [like] every year.
"The Real Madrid game is now in the past, we just focus on this game in the Premier League. Obviously we need to win every game and we need to go into the Champions League next year.
"We are desperate to win in the Premier League, so we are fully focused on Saturday."