Liverpool and Barcelona eye Bundesliga defender

Bengaluru, July 21: Premier League giants Liverpool and La Liga holders Barcelona are ready to battle it out to sign Augsburg left-back Philipp Max, according to reports.

It is understood the Reds want to provide their first-choice left-back Andrew Robertson with some added competition. The Scotland skipper, 25, has been in imperious form over the last 18 months since replacing Alberto Moreno in the side.

But reports suggest the Anfield club want to give him a harder run for his spot in the team, especially because Moreno was released at the end of last season.

Max, who is also a bombarding full-back, is thought to be available for around £18million and the Reds are looking to sign him up.

Barcelona also have similar ideas about their own left-back position as they want a solid cover for Jordi Alba. According to Sport in Spain, the Catalan giants are also considering a move for the German international.

The Catalan giants are keen on bringing in a new full-back this summer and have identified the German as their no.1 target to challenge Jordi Alba.

Max, 25, was with Bayern Munich's academy before joining Schalke, where he made the step up to the professional game before leaving in 2014 for Karlsruher.

After one season, though, he joined Augsburg and is now a key figure in the side. He chipped in with four goals and seven assists last season, sometimes deployed in a more-advance, left-wing role, as the club narrowly avoided relegation.

However, Barcelona may instead go after Jerome Roussillon from Wolfsburg as an alternative to Real Betis star Junior Firpo, who his club value at more than £30m.

The report also suggests that Barcelona have decided not to pursue Borussia Dortmund's Raphael Guerreiro while Danny Rose has also been contacted but Max is still the preferred choice.