This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Ben Davies, according to the Liverpool Echo.

The Preston North End star looks set to leave Deepdale during the January transfer window after failing to agree a new contract with the Championship club.

Davies will be out of contract in the summer and it seems that Jurgen Klopp's side are looking to capitalise on the situation by making a move to bring the 25-year-old to Anfield to ease their defensive woes.

But does the deal make sense?

The team at FLW have their say...

Ben Wignall This is a bittersweet one for me being a Preston fan, but you absolutely cannot begrudge him for taking this opportunity. Davies will go to Liverpool with a huge chance of being thrown in from the start, he could partner Nat Phillips and that would release Jordan Henderson to go back into central midfield. I fully believe he deserves his chance in the Premier League. Left-footed centre-backs who are quick, have a quality long pass on them and are decent in the air are hard to come by, but I was expecting him to perhaps step up to a Burnley or Sheffield United - not to the Champions. I'm not too happy at the reports saying Preston are only getting £500,000 up-front and only another potential £1.1 million in appearance-related add-ons - it's a far cry from the £2 million that was being banded about yesterday and when Liverpool's other defenders are fit, it's hard to see Davies getting too many chances to play - unless he really hits the ground running. And that's a genuine possibility. He will need to prove himself very quickly that he's up to playing at the very top level, but I genuinely believe he's got it in him.

Quiz: Did these 17 Preston North End players ever actually score a league goal for the club?

  Chris Thorpe This is a really smart signing in my eyes. Liverpool are acquiring a player that is now well into his prime for a considerably low fee in what is a traditionally tricky transfer window to negotiate in. They do not possess a left sided centre back at present so for that matter, the signing of Davies provides them with something they've lacked in recent years. Whether he is good enough for the Premier League is another story entirely but one things for sure, Jurgen Klopp has pulled a blinder with this addition and it will only stand them in good stead as the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez continue to be sidelined. Chris Gallagher Firstly, you have to say this is a remarkable opportunity for the player. Davies has proven himself to be a quality Championship defender over the years, and he is more than capable of making the step up to the Premier League. Of course, Liverpool are competing for the title and will want to win the Champions League, so you can understand why their fans wanted a more proven player. And, in truth, Davies is probably only a low-end top-flight player. However, given their defensive issues, you'd have to say he is an upgrade on what they currently have, and we've seen Jurgen Klopp develop players who weren't considered good enough before, so it will be interesting to see how he does. For around £2m, it's a bargain deal, and even if it doesn't work out, Liverpool should make a profit on Davies in the summer.