Liverpool 'Intensively' Scouting Werden Bremen's Czech Goalkeeper Jiří Pavlenka
By Ben Carter
Werder Bremen goalkeeper Jiří Pavlenka could be set for a summer move to Liverpool after the Reds scouted the Czech shot-stopper 'intensively' last season.
It has been known for some time that Jürgen Klopp would look to bolster his goalkeeping options ahead of the new campaign, with the club's desire to find a new man in between the sticks only increasing following Loris Karius' high profile mistakes in the Champions League final last month.
A number of players have been tipped for a move to Anfield this summer, the most notable of which has been Atlético Madrid star Jan Oblak, but reports coming out of Germany suggest that the Reds could now have their sights set on one of the Bundesliga's star performers last season.
Sport Bild have reported that Liverpool have been 'intensively' scouting Werder Bremen goalkeeper Pavlenka. The 26-year-old only moved to the Wesser-Stadion last season, but the Werderaner will consider selling if a big offer comes in this summer.
Always liked Pavlenka. Is he Liverpool ready? Who is these days? Oblak.
— Martin (@kopeckey) June 19, 2018
Pavlenka was one of the top performing goalkeepers in the top flight of German football last season, along with Eintracht Frankfurt's Lukáš Hrádecký who will replace Arsenal's new signing Bernd Leno at Bayer Leverkusen next year.
Pavlenka was largely an unknown quantity when he left SK Slavia Prague for £2.7m last summer, but his standout performances last season have the 26-year-old being talked about as the long-term replacement for Petr Čech in the national team.
He was an ever-present for Werder Bremen last season as the Green and Whites comfortably survived relegation by 11 points, conceding just 40 goals under manager Florian Kohfeldt - a tally bettered only by Bayern Munich, Schalke 04 and Stuttgart.