Liverpool have lost out to Chelsea for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, according to the Daily Mail reporter Lewis Steele.
Speaking to the Anfield Index, Steele said that the France international was on the Reds’ radar, but he is now expected to make the switch to Stamford Bridge.
“I think they were, maybe, having a look at the situation, but I think Chelsea have won the race on that one.”
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It doesn’t appear that the Reds have made a serious attempt to sign Lacroix, but the news does represent a reversal of some sort from what happened with Jeremy Jacquet.
Why were Liverpool interested in the centre-half?
The failure to retain the services of Ibrahima Konate means that sporting director Richard Hughes has been looking at the market for potential replacements.
While the Merseysiders do ostensibly still have four centre-backs in captain Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Jacquet, one is a new signing, one is injury-prone, and another is injured.
It would, therefore, be prudent to bring in reinforcements for that position before the transfer window shuts.
Who could be signed instead of Lacroix?
Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke was a defender that Liverpool were interested in, but he has joined Tottenham.
Re-signing Jarell Quansah could have been considered, but his €80m (£69m) buyback clause for this summer is said to have expired at the end of May.
A couple of lesser-known defenders, such as FC Midtjylland’s Lee Han-Beom and Wolfsburg’s Konstantinos Koulierakis, have also been linked, but neither would likely be ready to step into the first team straight away like Lacroix.
If the Reds are pushing to secure the signature of a centre-back, it’s likely that several other names will be mentioned as targets over the coming days and weeks.
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