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Jamie Carragher has urged Liverpool to raid RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano in January following an ACL injury that could end Virgil van Dijk’s season.
The Reds’ record signing could face seven to nine months on the sidelines after a showdown with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford at the weekend.
Before his injury, Van Dijk had not missed a Premier League game with Liverpool since January 2018 and had recorded 92 consecutive appearances in the top flight. Their defeat is undoubtedly a gigantic blow to the team’s title aspirations.
Naturally, talks have accelerated for Liverpool to replace the imposing Dutchman in the next January transfer window.
In Jamie Carragher’s view, the Premier League champions should look no further than Bundesliga powerhouse Upamecano.
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Speaking on SkySports, he said: “Liverpool’s next big signing had to be a center back anyway and I’m talking next summer. Dejan Lovren left and they didn’t replace him, so they only have three center-backs and one of them, Joel Matip, is always injured.
“Here is a young man that everyone was talking about in Leipzig, Dayot Upamecano, they talk about him. Whether he has the van Dijk profile, I think he’s only 6’1 “or 6’2” so he might not be as airy, but if it’s what they wanted then go ahead.
“Pay the extra money and do it on January 1.”
LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 26: Dayot Upamecano of Leipzig gestures during the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and RB Leipzig at BayArena on September 26, 2020 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron / Bundesliga / Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images)
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Upamecano would certainly be a welcome addition to Liverpool, even if Van Dijk was still available.
The French international is already one of the top-rated center-backs in the world right now after his sustained brilliance with Leipzig last season en route to the club’s first Champions League semi-final.
A void as immeasurable as Van Dijk’s cannot be resolved simply with a lone signing, but adding a player of Upamecano’s quality could certainly have short- and long-term benefits for the Reds.
SportBild stated this month that Upmecano has a release clause of £ 40m at the end of the season. More than that, Liverpool are very interested in the player.
It would be a fantastic immediate addition and there is potentially a long-term sensational partnership with Gomez that would certainly get fans excited. But Liverpool could use him as soon as possible.
Last season, Upamecano’s teammate Emil Forsberg gave the Frenchman an enthusiastic recommendation after saying that ‘no one is ahead of him’ and that ‘he could play for any team in the world’ (bundesliga.com)
January is his first, but his release clause is not technically active at the time. This means that if Liverpool want their man ASAP, as Carragher rightly suggested, they may have to pay a lot to do so.
However, given the nature to which Van Dijk’s setback is opposed, Liverpool would do well not to let money get in the way of finding the best possible solution to such a catastrophic injury.
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