Liverpool pursued a left-handed center back in the transfer market last summer. That trend has not changed, and the club has turned its attention to defenders who have played in Europe, including Portugal defender Goncalo Inácio.
One of the targets is 26-year-old defender Lloyd Kelly, who moved to Bournemouth from his hometown Bristol City in 2019 and has made over 100 appearances in total. The center-back, who can also play left back and is also a good footworker, is not the only candidate for a new home in Liverpool.
According to HITC, three clubs, including Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, are keen on the player, and a battle could develop in the transfer market this summer.
For Liverpool, a new center back is a high priority. Joel Matip is set to retire at the end of the season, and Virgil van Dijk is getting older and more of a veteran player.
In addition, there are no left-handers in the current center back corps, and a defender who can pass and react differently than right-handers could be a valuable option.
Newcastle is also in urgent need of a generational change in its main center backs, with the exception of Dutch defender Sven Botman, who is over 30 years old; the former England U-21 defender, who is in his mid-20s and has extensive Premier League experience, is an attractive asset and has been under the tutelage of coach Eddie Howe.
Tottenham also needs to strengthen their final line. While they added Romanian defender Radu Dragusin to their squad this winter, the search continues for a defender who can fill in for 22-year-old defender Mickey van de Ven.
The Bristol-born defender can also make headway in the home-grown system, but will he be moving to a top club this summer…?