Liverpool have lined up Ajax star Jorrel Hato as the ideal alternative option to Dean Huijsen this summer, journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed.
Unfortunately for the Reds, it looks as though they are going to miss out on the signing of Bournemouth centre-back Huijsen at the end of the season.
The Spaniard is set to complete a move to Real Madrid, almost certainly joining Trent Alexander-Arnold there, meaning Liverpool will have to look at alternative defensive options in the summer transfer window.
Speaking on his YouTube channel on Thursday [via Caught Offside], Romano claimed that the Reds are now looking at Hato to bolster their back-line as a different option to Huijsen:
“Now it’s on them to close everything with a ‘here we go’ expected very soon. Jorrel Hato is for sure in the list of Liverpool and Chelsea. Both clubs appreciate the player and have been monitoring him. It’s not an easy negotiation with Ajax, he’s a very important player for them, but he’s one of the candidates for these two clubs now they are expected to miss on their target Dean Huijsen.”
Liverpool could sign a potential generational talent
Hato is one of the most exciting teenage defensive talents in Europe, already making 110 appearances for Ajax, despite still only being 18 years of age.
The Dutchman is adept at both centre-back and left-back, meaning he would be great for squad depth, and John van ‘t Schip has waxed lyrical about his brilliance, saying:
“We don’t have to do a lot because he is an exemplary professional. Of course, he has fun with the boys and that’s something that needs to happen because that makes sure you train happily. But he is also a very serious guy in the sense that he trains well, he takes care of himself. Many should see him as an example, especially the players in the youth academy.”
Hato could be a generational talent who matures over time, having won six caps for the Netherlands and highly likely to add a huge amount to that tally as the years pass, also winning 16 caps across three youth age groups for his country.
For that reason, Liverpool should consider him a priority long-term target and the potential heir to Virgil van Dijk at the heart of their defence.