Liverpool have seen their defensive ranks depleted over the course of the 2025/26 season.
Giovanni Leoni was ruled out for the campaign after just one match, leaving Joe Gomez as the only natural cover for Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
But an injury to Jeremie Frimpong then meant Gomez was needed to fill in at right-back, as he has done on plenty of occasions in the past.
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Frimpong returned after a prolonged period on the sidelines, but Conor Bradley will now miss the remainder of 2025/26 after he picked up an issue in the 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
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Jeremy Jacquet points and smiles at the crowd after Rennes' Ligue 1 match against Paris FC (Credit: Getty Images/Jean Catuffe).
Marc Guehi warms up ahead of Crystal Palace's Carabao Cup match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium (Credit: Getty Images/Vince Mignott/MB Media).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Jean Catuffe/Vince Mignott/MB Media
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Gomez also suffered an injury in the 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth this past weekend, leaving Liverpool with very few right-back and centre-back options.
Givairo Read the top-rated youngster in Europe outside of big five leagues
But there is an option being looked at by the Reds that could help on this front.
Liverpool were looking at Feyenoord’s Givairo Read early in 2025 as a potential successor to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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A move did not come to pass, but fresh reports this month say the Merseyside outfit are still interested in signing Read, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Newcastle United also mooted as potential options.
Now, CIES Football Observatory have revealed their top-100 list of the top-performing players born in 2006 or later who are playing the best outside of the big five leagues (England, Spain, France, Italy and Germany).
Read tops the list, with CIES giving him a score of 85.0 out of 100.
Interestingly, Kees Smit, who has been linked to Liverpool as well, takes fifth place with a score of 81.8.
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Qarabag players line up for a squad picture before their UEFA Champions League match against Ajax at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium (Credit: Getty Images/Resul Rehimov/Anadolu).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Resul Rehimov/Anadolu
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Transfer value of Liverpool target Givairo Read
Now 19, the right-back is under contract with Feyenoord until the summer of 2029.
He has already made 50 senior appearances for the Dutch outfit, in which he has scored four and assisted 11.
It remains to be seen exactly how much Feyenoord would demand to sell the talented defender.
But CIES give Read a transfer value of up to €40m, which is around £34.7m.
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