Liverpool have allegedly set their sights on signing Kieran Gibbs after repeatedly failing to beat Arsenal to a number of other transfer targets.

Unable to compete in the transfer market, Liverpool have decided to change approach and go directly for Arsenal players themselves, in this case hoping to exploit Gibb’s fall down the Arsenal pecking order.

According to a report in the Express, they believe that the fact that Arsenal have not offered Gibbo a new deal means that the club will be willing to let him leave and an exit for £12m is likely. Their source is Football Insider.

So let’s take a look at that.

Gibbs has shown no indication that he’s ready to leave the club he’s been at since he was a kid. That, of course, merely means he’s a professional and is not a sign that he’s unhappy at losing his place to Nacho Monreal.

In regards to his contract, Arsenal have not offered Gibbs a new one because he still has two years left on his current deal. A new one should be on its way soon enough with the club usually starting negotiations around this point in all player’s contracts.

Klopp, it is claimed, wants to provide competition for Alberto Moreno, not replace him, so it would strike me as odd that Gibbs would leave Arsenal to go to Liverpool where he would be no more assured a starting spot than he is in north London.

The only thing surprising in any of this is that Gibbs has not been more grumpy about not being used. At 26, he’s no longer a youngster and time is running out for him to make the name for himself that we all expected when he first broke through.

I honestly can’t see Gibbs going anywhere this summer, let alone Arsenal being willing to ‘cash in’ as is claimed in these reports.