LIVERPOOL ARE CLOSE to agreeing a deal to sign Sam Byram from Leeds, according to reports.

The Sun reports that Byram, who scored in his side’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest earlier today, could cost the Reds as little as £5million, as he is out of contract at Elland Road in the summer.

However, Leeds boss Steve Evans remains hopeful the club can keep hold of the starlet, who can play midfield or full-back.

“He has to sign a contract,” Evans told Sky Sports. “We can’t just sit there and say the player controls the football club.

We love the kid to bits and I have said before that if he comes home with my daughter I will be quite proud.

“He is such a nice kid that you want him to do well but we want him to commit to his future.”

The 22-year-old is understood to have been scouted by a number of Premier League sides, and he was recently criticised by Leeds chairman Massimo Cellino, who accused the player of thinking the club was “too small for him,” after Byram refused to sign a new contract.

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