Liverpool have reportedly “discussed” Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix as an option, potentially seeing him as an alternative to teammate Marc Guehi.
Guehi famously missed out on joining the Reds on deadline day in the summer transfer window, even agreeing a £35m move to Anfield.
Liverpool continue to eye the signing of the 25-year-old ahead of the New Year, with a move next summer most likely, and Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol even recently claiming:
“I’ve heard talk that he may have a gentleman’s agreement with Liverpool, that he will sign for Liverpool.”
Now, The Daily Mail‘s Lewis Steele reports that Lacroix has been “discussed in the past by Liverpool”, as they look at possible Guehi alternatives.
Club Brugge Joel Ordonez is “another they have kept an eye on”, while Celta Vigo’s Oscar Mingueza “has been tentatively linked in Spanish reports” and Brentford’s Nathan Collins is a “potential defensive reinforcement” as well.
Could Lacroix be a better option than Guehi for Liverpool?
Lacroix has shone alongside Guehi in a Palace shirt, and while he doesn’t fill as many column inches as his colleague, he has arguably been just as influential since joining from Wolfsburg last year.
He has been hailed as “elite” by journalist Tobias Kroger, and this season, he has averaged a huge 7.2 clearances per game in the Premier League this season, as well as averaging 2.7 aerial duel wins.
In comparison, Guehi has a tally of 5.2 and 2.8, highlighting that the Frenchman is certainly matching him in a statistical sense in key defensive areas.
That said, Guehi still arguably stands out as the perfect option for Liverpool at the end of the season, and there is a reason why the Premier League champions saw him as such a standout choice during the summer.
If Palace are unwilling to sell either him or Lacroix in January, though, another centre-back must be looked at, given the lack of depth there with both Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez injured currently.
Failure to do so would be bordering on negligent by Liverpool, and would hamper their chances of enjoying a positive second half to the campaign.