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Scottish Premiership outfit Kilmarnock have now confirmed the loan signing of Liverpool youngster James Balagizi.

The 20-year-old midfielder joins for the remainder of the 2023/24 season ‘pending clearance’, as per the club’s official website.

Derek McInnes’ side find themselves fourth in the league table – a significant improvement thus far on their fortunes the prior campaign.

Are Liverpool likely to complete any permanent business in January?

A resounding ‘ no ‘ is the increasingly likely answer to that question.

Certain names, including that of Sporting Lisbon’s highly-rated centre-half Goncalo Inacio, are appearing frequently enough to suggest that our interest is somewhat serious.

However, we’re more likely to hold fire for now and complete the season with the current squad before reassessing our needs come the summer.

The emergence of Jarell Quansah and the return to form of current utility man Joe Gomez will have undoubtedly assuaged the fears of the coaching staff this term.

There will still be a real need to commit to future planning beyond the end of the campaign to bolster a backline that’s more than a little prone to an injury crisis.

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