Liverpool will face competition from Manchester United for the signature of rumoured target Sven Botman of Lille, as reported by Sunday World.
The Dutchman, who has earned comparisons with Virgil van Dijk due to elements of his style of play and stature, has been heavily linked with a move to Merseyside in recent weeks.
The report in question alleges that United “look set to join the race” for the Ligue 1 star, whom some sources claim has courted interest from Anfield.
While a move to the Reds would seem more likely – if the alleged interest from the club is genuine – United would have reasonable cause to make the potential transfer given the perceived unreliability of Eric Bailly and Harry Maguire.
Considering our current injury crisis in the centre of defence, however, one might suspect that Jurgen Klopp and Michael Edwards will be considering getting ahead of the Manchester-based club to allay our own defensive concerns.
The three-week layoff period faced by Joel Matip means that we’ll be looking at a centre-back partnership of Fabinho and either Rhys Williams or Nathaniel Phillips for the foreseeable future.
The situation could be a lot worse, of course, had Klopp been unable to benefit from the Brazilian’s versatility.
Nonetheless, if we want to raise our chances of holding on to our Premier League crown, some defensive reinforcement is a must this January.