Liverpool are reportedly ‘squeezing hard’ to secure the shock signing of James Garner from Merseyside rivals Everton as Real Madrid keep tabs on the England international.

Garner has earned rave reviews through his performances under David Moyes this term and was rewarded for his consistent displays with a first call up for England and a first cap in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay on Friday.

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England boss Thomas Tuchelsays he’s been “very impressed” by Garner both in training and on his debut.

“I’m very happy [with Garner] — he’s our mini Valverde,” Tuchel said.

“He’s getting there, and he played very, very good. I was quite sure that he will play good because he has this natural confidence and he’s just very physical. He won a lot of balls.”

“I think there are some situations where he can be a little bit more open in the body position and drive maybe a little bit more through midfield with a little bit more confidence,” he said.

“I think in the last 10 minutes of the first half, he was involved in some ball losses that cost us a bit of confidence.

“But overall I was very impressed with the way he trained and the way he behaved. The way he played was good.”

Garnerjoined Everton from Manchester United for just £9m in the summer of 2022 and has been one of the standout players in the Premier League this term.

He signed a new long-term deal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in January, but that’s not stopping a couple of European giants tracking him ahead of the summer transfer window.

Reports from Spain claim Real Madrid ‘remain attentive to his evolution’ but that Liverpool are ‘most determined to launch for his signing’.

It’s thought Liverpool will be in the market for a new midfielder this summer amid doubts of Alexis Mac Allister, who’s suffered a dramatic downturn in his performances this season and has been linked with Real Madrid for some time, and Curtis Jones, who was linked with an exit in January and may again look to leave at the end of this season having grown frustrated with his limited game time at Anfield.

The report claims Liverpool consider Garner the ‘perfect’ addition as they ‘seek to reinforce the midfield with a dynamic and versatile profile’ and that the Reds are willing ‘to put €70m [£61m] on the table to convince Everton’.

Liverpool are ‘squeezing hard’ while Real Madrid ‘observe’ and it’s claimed Everton are ‘aware that retaining the player will be complicated’ if big offers come in.

The report adds: ‘Everything indicates that he will make the leap to a big one. The only unknown is where.’