Liverpool may accelerate their plans to sign a new centre-back in light of Joel Matip’s serious knee injury, 90min understands.
The Reds had already planned to bring in another central defender next summer, with Goncalo Inacio, Lucas Beraldo, Piero Hincapie and Arthur Theate among the players to have been scouted in previous months.
But Matip’s recent ACL rupture, which will likely sideline him for the rest of the season and may potentially end his Liverpool career given that he’s out of contract in June, could force the club into a rethink over timing and potential targets, knowing that the players near the top of their centre-back shopping list are unlikely to be available mid-season.
90min understands that Liverpool feel a deal could be done for Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah in January, and there’s an expectation that, were a transfer to be pulled off, the Germany international could seamlessly slot into the side if and when required.
Wolfsburg’s Maxence Lacroix and Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo, the latter attracting interest from Manchester United, are two other potentially affordable options for Liverpool, with other players likely to be considered too.
Initially, Liverpool had wanted to land a holding midfielder in January, potentially in the form of Fluminense’s Andre. It remains to be seen whether they have the capability to finance two signings.
Jurgen Klopp does have Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and youngster Jarell Quansah fit and available to play in central defence, but a serious shoulder injury to left-back Andrew Robertson has forced Gomez to play out of position in recent weeks. The 26-year-old is also the main cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the right-back role.
That leaves Liverpool a little vulnerable and light on personnel, with another injury setback in defence likely to have a damaging effect on the club’s Premier League title ambitions.
After victory over Sheffield United on Wednesday night, Liverpool sit second in the Premier League table behind leaders Arsenal, trailing the Gunners by two points and leading champions Manchester City by four – they’ve uncharacteristically gone four games without a Premier League win.
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