With the ambiguous departure at Liverpool of Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, who is under contract until June 2025, England defender Joe Gomez was also linked with an exit in the transfer market this summer, and was actually presented as a trade piece in the negotiations over Anthony Gordon.
Although Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah are on the way out, a strengthening of the final line, including a generational change, is inevitable. Despite continued talk of targeting new centre-backs in this summer’s transfer window, no one was added to the defensive ranks as a result.
However, it is clear that Liverpool are planning to strengthen their centre-backs and have narrowed down their targets to two. According to CaughtOffside, Sevilla defender Loïc Badé and Sporting defender Gonçalo Inácio are at the top of the list of candidates.
The 24-year-old French defender, who plays in La Liga, has secured a starting place at Sevilla. He has played the full 90 minutes so far, with the exception of the opening game and the fifth, in which he was out injured. Although he has no experience of playing for France, he has played in major European competitions at club level.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old left-back, a regular in the Portugal national team, has made close to 200 appearances for the club and 12 for the national team. For some time now, there have been reports of interest from some of Europe’s best clubs as well as the Premier League.
His relationship with Liverpool also began to flow midway through last season, and he was rumoured to be on his way to Anfield, along with manager Ruben Amorim, who was briefly touted as Liverpool’s next managerial candidate.
Both are in their early 20s and could be at the forefront for at least five years. They have the ability to compete with the regulars and the focus is likely to be on the transfer fee and whether they fit in with Arne Slot’s football.
The Portuguese defender, who can also play as a left-back, has a dominant image, but will Liverpool reinforce with a new centre-back this winter or next summer…?