Liverpool transfer news: Reds close to signing Polish youth international Kamil Grabara

Liverpool are close to completing the signing of young Polish goalkeeper Kamil Grabara after his current club Ruch Chorzow's president confirmed the Reds interest in signing the stopper, who is expected to go straight into their U-18 side. He will become the second Polish stopper to represent the Anfield outfit after Jerzy Dudek.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Poland youth international will travel to Merseyside later in the week for further discussions and a medical, which will see him drafted straight into Neil Critchley's U-18 side at Liverpool's Kirkby Academy. Apart from the Reds, both the Manchester clubs have reportedly shown interest in the youngster but Jurgen Klopp's team seems to have won the race for the talented stopper.

"Grabara has been with us for 12 years. A few months ago we signed a contract with him to keep him until 2018, and now Liverpool want to have him," the Polish top-flight club's president Dariusz Smagorowicz said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

The Merseyside club have also been linked with a move for a goalkeeper to provide competition for Simon Mignolet in the senior team, with Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen being linked with a move to Liverpool. The German manager, however, denied any interest in the keeper, putting faith in the Belgian international, who looks to be getting back to his best form.

Lucas Leiva, meanwhile, has admitted that he is ready to play at centre-back if the manager needs him following injuries to Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho. The former being the latest setback following their first-leg win over Stoke City in the semi-final of the Capital One Cup.

"We had some bad luck with injuries early on but we managed to keep a clean sheet, score an away goal and now we go for the second leg trying to get to Wembley," Leiva said, as quoted by Goal.com

"With [Jon] Walters and [Peter] Crouch late on it is always hard [to cope at centre-back], but it is a position I have played in a few games this season and if the manager needs me, I need to deliver."