Loris Karius' Liverpool Nightmare Could End With Return to Bundesliga - West Ham Also Keen

It's hard to believe that less than two years ago, Loris Karius was lining up in goal for Liverpool in the Champions League final.

Now, he's a million miles away - or so it seems - on loan at Besiktas, the club who rescued him after Jurgen Klopp decided to bring his time at Anfield to an end in favour of pursuing Allison Becker.

That decision proved to be a smart bit of business from Klopp, but it's looking unlikely that Besiktas see things the same way. Indeed, the Turkish giants look unlikely to take up the option they have in Karius' loan deal to make things permanent.

Instead, the German keeper - who first moved to Liverpool from Mainz for just £4.75m back in 2016 - could be heading back to his homeland, if Sport1 are to be believed.

They claim that Hertha BSC, who were briefly managed by Premier League legend Jurgen Klinsmann this season, are 'serious' about bringing him back to the Bundesliga, with current number one Thomas Kraft set to leave Die Alte Dame in the summer.

Their interest in signing Karius is a little surprising, given that the errors that he displayed in that Champions League final against ​Real Madrid have continued with alarming regularity. But things haven't always been so bad for a player who actually played for Manchester City player at youth level.

Karius impressed in the ​Bundesliga early in his career, and was one of Mainz's most important players during his time at the club. He was even voted the best goalkeeper in the league during the 2015/16 season, trailing only in the wake of ​Bayern Munich legend ​Manuel Neuer - form which no doubt convinced Klopp to raid his former club for competition to Simon Mignolet.

Belgian publication ​Voetbal, meanwhile, suggest West Ham are also interested in striking a deal, though that will be dependant on the club maintaining their Premier League status. A figure of £4.75m - meaning Liverpool will recoup their money - is quoted.

What's for certain is things need to get back on track fast for Karius, and heading to Berlin could be just what the 26-year-old needs. He's reportedly on a modest - for a Premier League player at least - £25,000 a week salary at ​Liverpool, so moving back to his homeland won't break the bank. His model girlfriend Sophia Thomalla is currently based in the German capital as well, which will no doubt help matters.

Karius also appears to have the backing of Hertha's goalkeeping coach Zsolt Petry, who Sport1 claim in their report is an admirer of his talents. One thing is for sure though - he appears to have no future at Liverpool, despite the Reds' difficulties between the sticks this season when Alisson was out injured.

Source : 90min