Liverpool boss Arne Slot will hope to see his side improve drastically when they return to action after the international break.
The reigning Premier League champions have lost four of their last five matches in the competition – most recently being beaten 3-0 by Manchester City – and therefore sit eighth in the top flight standings.
Slot will be desperate to see his side’s fortunes change when domestic football returns, with the Merseyside outfit having also already been dumped out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Crystal Palace.
In the meantime, however, it has emerged that the Reds will have to pay a substantial amount if they wish to sign one of their transfer targets.
As reported by Football Insider, Liverpool would likely have to pay in excess of £80 million to sign Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni.
The Reds are said to have identified the Italy international as an ideal candidate to bolster Slot’s squad, however it is claimed that Inter will not consider selling the player during the upcoming January transfer window.
Bastoni has been impressive for Inter this season (Photo: Alessio Morgese/Alamy)
Bastoni, 26, has played more than 270 times for Inter since joining the club from fellow Italian side Atalanta in 2017.
The centre-back has also had loan spells with both his former side and Parma, but he has established himself as one of the most reliable defenders in the Italian top flight over the past few seasons.
Bastoni is said to be settled in Milan and the player himself is therefore reluctant to be unsettled prior to next summer’s World Cup in the United States.
Liverpool are said to have been interested in Bastoni since March, but didn’t manage to make much progress in their attempts to sign the defender over the summer.
Current Reds centre-back Ibrahima Konate has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield in recent months, with his contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign.
Bastoni is under contract with Inter until the end of the 2027/28 season, and it is claimed that the Serie A outfit will therefore demand a fee of at least £80 million to consider selling the player.