Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)placeholder image
Liverpool boss Arne Slot. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool have two positions left to address with a former target the perfect option to solve the centre-half problem.
There are still two positions where Liverpool will be wanting to add depth and quality over the coming weeks even if there isn’t any real level of desperation just yet.
A swap deal for Darwin Nunez would be nice if the Reds could move the Uruguayan out for a more clinical No.9 but without losing the physicality or work rate. There are clubs reported to be interested in Nunez, however, as yet, the phone has been cold on potential offers.
Door opens for Liverpool to sign former target Andreas Christensen
If Konate signs a new deal it would leave Joe Gomez as the other senior backup option or player capable of rotating which is why Liverpool have been linked with Marc Guehi again. Virgil van Dijk won’t be around forever either and it would be negligent to leave it to the last minute to replace him.
Signing players is never easy, however, Liverpool could have been given an invitation to sign a player who they have been heavily linked with before and who they were willing to spend £43m and “go all out for” only a year ago.
Barcelona’s money problems are well documented and they are trying to offload one of their senior players on big wages in the shape of Andreas Christensen. The big Dane has just a year left of his contract and now is the time for the Catalans to cash in on the former Chelsea centre-half.
A bid of over £40m might have been knocked back last summer but circumstances dictate that Liverpool could pick up a proven and experienced defender for even less and someone who could genuinely replace Van Dijk as a ball playing central defender.
Why Christensen could be perfect long-term Van Dijk successor
The 29-year old still has a lot of football left given his position and an interview when he was at Chelsea explains why he is so perfect for an attacking team like Liverpool and one that demands its defenders can look after the ball: “I started as a striker, dribbling a lot, doing all the tricks and scoring goals. Then I went onto midfield, where I was on the ball a lot and you had to be a good technical player,” said Christensen to Chelsea’s official website.
“So when I became a defender, I would still drive the ball up to midfield. My dad ended up coaching me again in the Brøndby Under-14s or Under-15s, and I had a few other coaches, but I remember two in particular: Nils Nielsen and John Ranum.
“Those two had a big impact on what I was doing. The first one took me as a midfielder, and he put me at centre-back. He said he could see me going far in this position and that meant a lot, because without that I wouldn’t be where I am today. Then the other one had a way of coaching that was great for me personally. So those two – and my dad as well – gave me a lot to be thankful for.”
If the price is right, Liverpool could land the perfect option to keep Van Dijk fresh and someone who could replace Konate should he decide not to put pen to paper on fresh terms, with the added benefit of the scouting work having already been done.
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