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Better late than never, as the saying goes. Liverpool are finally entering the transfer market to bring in a center back and ease their defensive woes.
With Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez facing a battle to play this season, Joel Matip injured his ankle ligaments in a 3-1 win over Tottenham and Fabinho left with a muscle injury, a reinforcement cannot come enough soon for Jurgen Klopp.
The summer moves for Red Bull Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano and Bayern Munich’s David Alaba have been discussed, but Klopp needs someone to walk through the door now. So who are the candidates to come to Anfield and ease fears of defensive injuries? Sportsmail take a closer look.
IBRAHIMA KONATE – RED BULL LEIPZIG
Upamecano’s partner on the German team, Ibrahima Konate has played 12 times in all competitions so far this season, including a 5-0 loss to Manchester United in the Champions League so far this season.
The 21-year-old joined Leipzig from Sochaux in 2017 and has represented France up to the U21 level.
But would Leipzig be willing to sanction a mid-season exit to a team they have to face in the second round of the Champions League? It would be unlikely: Liverpool would probably have to pay above the odds.
DUJE CALETA-CAR – MARSEILLE
Duje Caleta-Car, a Croatian international with 10 caps to his name, is a high midfielder who plays with the ball and is a regular at Marseille in Ligue 1.
He has been with the French club for two years, practicing his trade in Austria with Paching and Red Bull Salzburg beforehand.
Marseille signed him for £ 16.8 million and, at 24, he has his best years ahead of him, so Liverpool will likely have to dig deep into their pockets if the Croatian is the man Klopp wants to alleviate.
West Ham was proposed as an option for Caleta-Car in the summer transfer window last year, with a potential move believed to cost around £ 25 million. His Croatia teammate and former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren said at the time that he could thrive in the Premier League.
“In my opinion, Duje could easily play in England,” Lovren said. “He is physically very strong, stronger than other players. It will explode in a few years and get even stronger. ‘
MANUEL AKANJI – BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Klopp could alternatively turn to his contacts at his old club in Germany and move in for Manuel Akanji, a 25-year-old Swiss international.
They have played 26 times in all club and country competitions this season and with Borussia Dortmund currently suffering a slump in their form and falling out of the top four of the Bundelsiga, it seems unlikely that they would want to leave one of their regular defenders. go out.
But Akanji’s current contract at the club is gradually running out: it expires in the summer of 2022, so if Liverpool make an attractive offer, it could bring Dortmund to the table.
He is comfortable with the ball and possesses a high level of speed. But one thing Liverpool fans need to remember: Akanji is a Manchester United fan!
“Many know that Manchester United has been my favorite club since childhood,” Bleacher Report said in 2018. “It would be nice to play there, but that’s not a problem at the moment. I am very satisfied in Dortmund.
OZAN KABAK – SCHALKE
Twenty-year-old Ozan Kabak has been associated with Liverpool before. He has also played with David Wagner, one of Klopp’s best friends, so the Liverpool manager knows exactly who to turn to if he needs an opinion on the defender’s capabilities.
And Kabak’s idol is none other than Virgil van Dijk, a man whom he would initially reach out to help cover.
“My personal goal is to become a great defender in maybe two or three years, like Virgil van Dijk. He’s my idol, I really like him, ” Kabak said last year. “I like his style and the way he plays, so I can say that he is my football idol.”
Kabak has played 19 times so far for the club and the country, but it has been a grueling season for Schalke. He is last in the Bundesliga with seven points from 18 games, 10 behind safety.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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