Liverpool: Who of these defenders will be a Red come January
Liverpool have been forced to do extra work in the January window after suffering a mega loss in defence.
The biggest blow imaginable has hit Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool squad after they lost Virgil van Dijk to a long-term injury, courtesy of a reckless Jordan Pickford challenge that has gone unpunished.
The pair, Everton and Liverpool, met for the first Merseyside derby of the season and despite all the bad that comes with a red and blue derby, it was one of the best to date.
The Toffees managed to salvage a point from the encounter, coming back twice in the game while the Reds were “robbed” by VAR in the final minutes of the game, chalking off the go-ahead goal that would have seen them return to Anfield with all the points.
After the 90 minutes concluded, the loss of points was less than the loss of arguably their most important player, van Dijk. An ACL issue that could see him miss the majority of the campaign or the entire one altogether.
Liverpool forced to do business
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Now, as the Reds take on the challenge of defending their first Premier League title, a stand-in centre back is needed to step in and fill the colossal hole left by VVD. And to no surprise, there have been a host of names mentioned as suitors, but some surfacing more often than not.
Who are the defenders Klopp could go after to help push them over the line this season and lock up shop at the back? Here are the three main possible CB transfers for the Reds;
Ben White – Brighton
The Brighton man has been a top priority for a host of clubs, namely Leeds United and Liverpool. The rumours of them wanting him down at Anfield only subsided once he agreed to a new long-term deal. Or so we thought.
Since then, Liverpool have stayed in the mentions with him and a move is looking increasingly likely. However, it will be hard to convince the Seagulls to sell during January. But this would be one of the best buys for the Reds.
Ben White is young (23 years old), athletic, English, and a definite presence in defence. He fits the bill to the T. The Reds are looking to start Klopp Phase 2 and he could be right at the top of that plan.
Kalidou Koulibaly – Napoli
Probably the least likely to happen due to the way Napoli deals with their transfer business and outgoings, including his age (29 years old) and the club’s valuation of Kalidou Koulibaly which is in the range of £80m. Everything says stop light all over it.
BUT! A Naples insider reported that the Serie A side and Liverpool have met on their asking price, which has dropped to £67m. So we could eventually see him move over to the Premier League as soon as January. Koulibaly saw his EPL transit fail when Man City halted their interest in him, as Napoli’s difficulties kicked in and they were unable to meet the Italian’s asking price.
"Fabio Santini said (via AreaNapoli): “Attention: I have sensational news on Kalidou Koulibaly. Manchester City and United are on the Senegalese defender as well as PSG.The club that is more serious for the Senegalese is Liverpool. Attention: the Reds offer to the Naples a figure between 70 and 75 million euros, the sum that De Laurentiis asks. (Via: Teamtalk)"
Nonetheless, at his age, he is arguably in the top three centre backs in the world right now. He is worth every penny.
Waiting to see how this unfolds…
Dayot Upamecano
The most wanted man across Europe. Manchester United really needs to ask what they are doing in their recruitment department. They could have snatched the 21-year-old from RB Leipzig this summer but decided not to pursue him for whatever reason (as they did with every other player they were in talks with).
Like their noisy neighbours (Man City) pulled out of the Koulibaly deal so did they eject themselves from the Dayot transfer. This has, however, left the window wide open for Liverpool and all other suitors to step in and snatch either of these hot prospects.
Recently, every report suggests the Anfield boss must move for Dayot Upamecano. The German boss enjoys shopping at the Red Bull clubs and when he has his sights set on a player, it’s not long until they become a Red.
"Liverpool have been told to agree a deal with RB Leipzig for Dayot Upamecano.Jamie Carragher reckons his former side have already decided that their next big signing will be a centre-back, and mentioned their apparent interest in the Frenchman from the summer. (Via: dailystar.co.uk)"
dark. Next. United youngster has been warned by the club
The only issue here is the price and when his price drops. The player has a release clause of £36m that kicks in next summer. Meaning, they could possibly wait until then and take him at a lower cost.
But the champions really need to ask if waiting until next summer is the right option in a time they must perform at the highest level to retain their English title.