Liverpool have reportedly made contact with Nice over the potential transfer of midfielder Jean Michael Seri.

The 26-year-old midfielder has been linked with Arsenal over the summer but little has materialised from initial interest.

There had been rumours of a possible move by Barcelona, but with the signing of Paulinho now officially announced, the Catalans may not look for another player in the engine room.

An obstacle in Arsenal’s bid to sign Seri is the Gunners having failed to quality for the Champions League football. Nice are playing in the qualification rounds of the competition and their progression could see Seri stay.

They face Napoli in the final round, which is by no means an easy win. I Liverpool qualify and Nice don’t, perhaps the Merseyside club could become the most attractive available option.

The Guardian via Metro are reporting that Liverpool are looking at the player as an alternative to Naby Keita, who apparently will not be sold this summer.

Seri, on the other hand, is reported to have a £36m release clause, and could therefore choose to leave Nice for whichever club activated it.

The Ivorian midfielder already has two assists in his three matches so far this season, and achieved an impression total of seven goals and nine assists in 39 games in 2016/17.