If not then I still consider him up for grabs (and he's doing a superb job of putting himself in the shop window), and Klopp should be tapping this lad up in the meantime. Would be a big upgrade on Emre Can - whose positional awareness is a massive liability (ball watches quite often, doesn't track runs from deep) for a kamikaze attacking team. They really do require a savvy defensive anchor in midfield, not necessarily a destroyer though. Merino ticks all the boxes imho.
He's signed on a permanent you radgy