Nathan Collins is attracting interest from Premier League champions Liverpoolplaceholder image
Nathan Collins is attracting interest from Premier League champions Liverpool | Getty Images
Liverpool are expected to sign a central defender before the end of the summer window
Premier League title favourites Liverpool are reportedly keeping tabs on Brentford defender Nathan Collins as they weigh up the possibility of a late summer move.
The champions have been amongst the biggest spenders in Europe this summer. They broke the British-record transfer fee to land Florian Wirtz for £116m earlier in the window while strengthening both full-back positions with moves for Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
Meanwhile, in attack they spent £79m to prise Hugo Ekitike away from Eintracht Frankfurt despite interest from rivals Newcastle United - and are now hoping to land a proven Premier League goalscorer in Alexander Isak after having an offer of around £110m plus add-ons turned down by the North East club.
It’s suspected that Liverpool will go all out to try and sign a striker this summer. While it’s also suspected that a centre back will arrive at Anfield before the end of the window amid ongoing uncertainty about the future of Ibrahima Konate.
As it stands, Marc Guehi is viewed as the most likely targetas he approaches his final year of his contract in a Crystal Palace shirt. However, Arne Slot is also exploring potential alternatives with one of those being Collins from Brentford.
Why Liverpool are interested in Nathan Collins
Nathan Collins is a highly-rated Premier League centre back with 115 top-flight appearances. He started his career with Stoke City at Championship level in 2018 and soon earned himself a move to Sean Dyche’s Burnley in 2021.
He played 22 league games in total in his sole season for the Clarets but was unable to help them avoid relegation despite scoring two goals. Collins cost Wolves £20.5m in the summer of 2022, becoming the most expensive Irish footballer in history. He formed an excellent partnership with Max Kilman as the Old Gold finished in 13th position but was sold on to Brentford for a slight profit of around £23m just a year later.
Collins has excelled since making the move to the Gtech Community Stadium and has been lauded for his consistency in the heart of defence over the last two campaigns. The 30-cap Republic of Ireland international has featured 77 times for the Bees across all competitions scoring four and contributing six assists. He played every single minute of every league game last year and was recently named club captain by fellow countrymen Keith Andrews after his appointment as first team manager.
Are Liverpool likely to make a move for Nathan Collins?
Give Me Sport claims that while Nathan Collins is admired internally by the recruitment team at Anfield, a transfer is unlikely to take place this summer. Brentford have already sold the likes of Christian Norgaard to Arsenal, Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United and have seen former manager Thomas Frank depart to Tottenham Hotspur. They are also in the middle of a battle to try and keep striker Yoane Wissa amid interest from Newcastle United.
Keith Andrews is keen to avoid any more unsettling at the Gtech Community Stadium and is now planning for his first season in professional management. He sees Collins as a massive part of his project and has named him club captain as a reward for his performances.
Reports state that Liverpool’s interest in Collins is tentative at this stage and adds that no formal approach has been made towards the player or his representatives. The 24-year-old has four years remaining on his contract, is firmly not for sale, and at this stage has expressed no desire to leave. Of course, based on recent sagas, that could change quickly if Liverpool were to up the ante in the coming weeks, but as it stands it appears that Marc Guehi is still the club’s No.1 defensive target at this point.
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