Lazio chasing Liverpool centre-back due to injury crisis – Reds could offload now to recoup transfer fee

Posted by

Serie A giants Lazio are keen on taking Kolo Toure off our hands this January, despite the fact the ageing Ivorian is out of contract in the summer and therefore available on a Bosman now.

Italian publication Il Messaggero (via the Express) state that Lazio are currently without injured central defenders Stefan de Vrij and Santiago Gentiletti, and want Toure to bolster their options in the second half of the season.

SEE MORE:
Crazy Dortmund transfer stats show Klopp could be busy this January

With Liverpool not planning on extending Toure’s contract, we could accept an offer now to get him off our wage bill and pick up a small sum.

However, Toure is experienced and happy to provide a backup option, while he’s also very popular in a dressing room packed with young players who lack his footballing knowledge and pedigree. Tiago Ilori has arrived back from an unsuccessful Aston Villa loan spell, so it’s not like we lack numbers in central defence, but it’s Toure’s experience that makes him a valuable squad member.

It’d be sad to see Toure, who’s been a true professional since joining in 2013, leave the club. He’s made 52 appearances in total for us, but is unlikely to add many more to that whether he stays or not this January. The two-time Premier League winner almost became the first player to win the competition with three different clubs during our ultimately unsuccessful 2013/14 challenge.

More Stories Kolo Toure