Liverpool ‘open to loan offers’ for Mamadou Sakho

Liverpool are ready to allow Mamadou Sakho to leave the club on loan to allow him to regain his form, according to reports.

Sakho, 26, has not played a competitive game since April, when UEFA launched an anti-doping investigation following a failed test.

The France centre-back was cleared by a UEFA board in July but suffered an Achilles injury ahead of the preseason tour to America, and Jurgen Klopp then sent him home from the tour for repeatedly breaking rules.

Sakho returned to training on Monday after recovering from injury but The Times, Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph all report that Liverpool are now open the idea of allowing him to spend time elsewhere rebuilding his form and fitness.

Klopp brought in Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan in the summer to add to his central defensive options and, with Dejan Lovren well established in the team, Sakho’s prospects of regular game time may be limited at this stage.

However, The Times says the former Paris Saint-Germain defender, who was linked with Roma earlier this summer, “remains highly rated by Jurgen Klopp, who has been pleased with the 26-year-old’s reaction since urging him to show more professionalism after he missed a training session and a team meal in the US.”

Meanwhile, the Liverpool Echo says Portuguese centre-back Tiago Ilori is close to an exit amid interest from Olympiakos, Granada, Eintracht Frankfurt and Freiburg.