Injuries at centre-back have highlighted how short Liverpool are in defence this summer, with Andoni Iraola himself admitting the Reds are “very thin” in defensive depth.
Virgil van Dijk is currently Liverpool’s only fit, senior centre-back – and he isn’t even with the squad in America.
Jeremy Jacquet is still building his fitness, Joe Gomez is already injured and Giovanni Leoni continues to recover from last September’s ACL surgery.
All could be excellent players, but two are youngsters who have never played a minute of Premier League football, and Gomez’s availability simply has to be treated as a bonus.
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Joe Gomez receives treatment during a friendly match between Liverpool FC ans AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NASHVILLE, USA - Saturday, July 25, 2026: Liverpool's Joe Gomez receives treatment during a friendly match between Liverpool FC ans AFC Sunderland at the Nashville SC Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe both look to be promising defenders, but the former is 18 years old and the latter can’t play for Liverpool this season due to work permit issues.
So, bearing all that in mind, it would be a fair assumption that the club are assessing whether they have enough depth at centre-back.
Potential targets like Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke both moved to Tottenham, while former reported centre-backs who the club have scouted in Portugal, Ousmane Diomande (Forest) and Antonio Silva (Bournemouth) are set to sign for other Premier League sides.
So, here are five other options Liverpool could consider.
Illia Zabarnyi
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - Sunday, January 21, 2024: Liverpool's Darwin Núñez (R) challenges with Bournemouth's Illya Zabarnyi during the FA Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at Dean Court. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - Sunday, January 21, 2024: Liverpool's Darwin Núñez (R) challenges with Bournemouth's Illya Zabarnyi during the FA Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at Dean Court. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: Illia Zabarnyi
Illia Zabarnyi was among the players pillaged by bigger clubs from Bournemouth last summer, as Paris Saint-Germain took the Ukrainian for £57 million.
Despite playing 28 times in the league, he didn’t start in the Champions League knockout stages and is claimed to have been “offered” to Liverpool.
If the Reds were to pursue the aggressive 23-year-old, he likely wouldn’t come cheap given the fee he cost PSG just a year ago.
Going in Liverpool’s favour, though, is Zabarnyi’s relationship with Andoni Iraola and sporting director Richard Hughes, who was the man who brought him from Dynamo Kyiv to the south coast in 2023.
Fikayo Tomori
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, September 15, 2021: Fikayo Tomori during the UEFA Champions League Group B Matchday 1 game between Liverpool FC and AC Milan at Anfield. Liverpool won 3-2. (Pic by Paul Currie/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, September 15, 2021: Fikayo Tomori during the UEFA Champions League Group B Matchday 1 game between Liverpool FC and AC Milan at Anfield. Liverpool won 3-2. (Pic by Paul Currie/Propaganda)
Player Profile: Fikayo Tomori
Liverpool’s possible pursuit of a defender could very much depend on their budget.
We know that the club’s priority is to find new wingers, so any potential centre-back signing could need to be done on the cheap.
Fikayo Tomori may, therefore, be a strong candidate.
Italian reports claim Newcastle have already bid £12.8 million, but Milan aren’t willing to sell at that price – and that seems fair enough given the level at which he has previously played.
The 28-year-old isn’t strong in the air and has probably reached his ceiling, but he is comfortable on the ball and has Premier League experience with Chelsea.
He’s also homegrown, with Liverpool having an issue there too this summer.
John Stones
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 6, 2023: Manchester City's John Stones during the FA Community Shield match between Manchester City FC and Arsenal FC at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 6, 2023: Manchester City's John Stones during the FA Community Shield match between Manchester City FC and Arsenal FC at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: John Stones
Given his experience and obvious quality, John Stones’ name has been thrown around over the last month. However, a move to Liverpool feels very unlikely for more than one reason.
There is the obvious problem of his Man City and Everton connections, but perhaps more of an issue for Liverpool’s analysts would be his injury record.
He hasn’t started more than 12 Premier League matches in any of the last three seasons and, at 32 years old, his injury problems don’t appear to be easing.
That doesn’t sound like the reliable player Liverpool would want to fill in when needed. In addition, Sky Italy report that the free agent has verbally agreed a move to Inter.
Ezri Konsa
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 21, 2021: Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa Ngoyo during the FA Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Leicester City FC at Villa Park. Leicester City won 2-1. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 21, 2021: Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa Ngoyo during the FA Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Leicester City FC at Villa Park. Leicester City won 2-1. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: Ezri Konsa
At the more expensive end of the scale, Ezri Konsa has been among England’s most consistent centre-halves of the last few years.
Another player who is good on the ball, the Aston Villa defender would be a valuable asset for Iraola.
He wouldn’t come cheap, however, and it would be unlike Liverpool to spend a big fee on a player who is 28 years old and arguably already at his peak.
Also, Konsa is not particularly strong in the air and that is a possible worry. Iraola’s team will press high, forcing the opposition to go long.
The centre-backs will have to be strong in their aerial duels to put the opposing team’s strikers off, allowing Liverpool to frequently win the second ball.
Charlie Cresswell
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - Thursday, October 12, 2023: England's Charlie Cresswell lines-up before the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifying Group F game between England and Serbia at the City Ground. England won 9-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - Thursday, October 12, 2023: England's Charlie Cresswell lines-up before the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifying Group F game between England and Serbia at the City Ground. England won 9-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Player Profile: Charlie Cresswell
A potential wildcard could be Charlie Cresswell.
A key man in England’s triumph at the 2025 Under-21 European Championships, Cresswell has been playing his football for Toulouse and making a good impression in France.
Rennes are interested in signing him this summer, but if Liverpool were to come calling, surely he would return to England.
A more traditional defender, Cresswell is 6’3″, excellent in both boxes and wouldn’t come at a high price.
The only downfall would be his relative lack of experience. That isn’t an issue on its own, but Liverpool already have ample promising defenders; they just don’t have the established equivalent.
Another positive in Cresswell’s book, as well as Tomori, Konsa and Stones, is the fact they are homegrown.
If Liverpool were to swap Calvin Ramsay for Victor Munoz, they would have just two non-homegrown spots free in their Premier League squad.
Filling one with another defender could compromise their search for attackers.