Liverpool are prepared to send Mamadou Sakho on loan before the end of the transfer window in an effort to enable the French defender to regain his fitness and form.

Sakho has not played since being banned for failing a drugs test – a suspension UEFA lifted when exonerating the French defender during the summer.

However, he was sent home early from the club’s pre-season tour of America by manager Jurgen Klopp because of disciplinary reason and has missed the start of the season while recovering from a heel injury.