Two current Liverpool academy players could find themselves coming up against the Reds next season if Championship outfit Sheffield United follows up its apparent interest in Owen Beck and Lewis Koumas.
The Mail reports that the Blades are interested in left-back Beck and attacker Koumas, and have put the pair on their list of targets should the club secure promotion back to the Premier League. Chris Wilder's men currently sit second in the Championship, three points ahead of third-placed Burnley and five points adrift of table toppers Leeds United.
Beck and Koumas are currently on loan with Championship clubs, with the former at Blackburn Rovers and the latter at Stoke City. It is claimed that Wilder’s long-term right-hand man Alan Knill, who is also a coach for Wales, knows Beck and Koumas well from the international scene, with the pair having been included in Wales squads over the last couple of years.
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Sheffield United's interest in both players is likely to hinge on promotion to the Premier League, but even if the Blades don't make it back to the top flight, Beck and Koumas are expected to attract interest from other clubs due to the good seasons they are both enjoying.
Beck is a regular for promotion-chasing Blackburn, while Koumas has registered six goals and three assists for struggling Stoke. It was reported by Rousing the Kop last month that Liverpool was delighted with the progress that Beck was making at Blackburn and was keeping an open mind about the prospect of Beck becoming a part of Arne Slot's first-team squad next season.
Beck has impressed during his last two loan spells senior soccer, having also stood out while on loan at Dundee last season. The youngster was named in the PFA Scottish Premiership Team of the Year as a result of his impressive performances for the Dens Park club in 2023-24.
Beck's first two loan spells in senior soccer, with Portuguese club Famalicao and Blackburn's Lancashire rival Bolton Wanderers, did not exactly go to plan, with Beck not making a single appearance for the former and playing just nine times for the latter.
Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said of Beck in January 2024: “We were always pretty positive about Owen, but then he had two really difficult loan spells [at Famalicao and Bolton]. It was a surprise that it didn’t work out because of what we thought about Owen, but that’s how it is with young boys. When you send them away from home, plenty of things can happen.
“Things always have to fit well – it must be the right manager, must be the right team, if they have another left-back there who is experienced. There are so many things which can make a loan spell not really happen. But at Dundee everything was fine and he made big steps."
