According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have joined Chelsea in the pursuit of Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera this summer.
The Merseyside giants have already signed Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen to reinforce the right-back department and they could pursue more defensive reinforcements.
A centre-back could be one of the priorities. Ibrahima Konate will enter the last year of his contract soon. He has yet to commit to a new deal. Joe Gomez remains unreliable due to his consistent injury concerns.
A young signing could be preferred to provide quality and depth, and Caught Offside claim that Liverpool have joined Chelsea in the race to sign Valencia’s Mosquera, who could be available for around £25 million.
The 20-year-old has made a huge impression at Valencia. Despite the growing Premier League interest, the Spaniard reportedly prefers a move to the Bundesliga with Leipzig at the current phase in his career.
The centre-back feels he could be best served by a move to the German top flight before joining an elite English club later.
Top talent
Mosquera has been brilliant for Los Che in the Spanish top-flight. Despite the club finishing 12th in the standings last season, the Spaniard was hugely consistent. He completed an impressive 91% percent of his passes.
The centre-back also won 70% of his ground duels with 5.1 recoveries and 3.3 clearances per outing. He looks set for the next phase of his career and considers the Bundesliga as the perfect destination to develop further.
Despite this, Liverpool will be hoping to bring him to Anfield. With Konate’s uncertain future beyond next season, the Reds need a player, who can quickly adapt and replace the Frenchman in the starting XI in future.
Van Dijk may have signed a two-year contract extension but the Dutchman is almost 34. He could show signs of regression in the coming years. Mosquera has yet to hit his prime and would be a fabulous acquisition.
It remains to be seen whether the club’s hierarchy can change the defender’s stance. The Reds should have an upper hand over Chelsea as they have just won the league title and are poised to provide a strong defence next term.