Jamie Carragher has urged Liverpool to sign a left-sided central defender this summer.
Jurgen Klopp’s main priority ahead of next season is believed to be strengthening his options in midfield but with Joel Matip approaching the final 12 months of his current deal the ex-Red believes a new defensive signing would make sense.
Despite links earlier this season, the Anfield outfit have been priced out of a move for RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardioal and are now showing ‘serious interest’ in Wolfsburg defender Micky Van de Den (Voetbal Primur).
“I look at the defence and I think Joel Matip now has got a year to go. If you got £10million, whatever the price may be, it’s probably right to move on,” Carragher told Redmen TV.
“I do think we need a left-sided defender, a left-footed centre-back. A lot of teams have them, we don’t.
“A left-sided player would add something. Rather than getting a left-back because I don’t think we will, if we are going to continue with this formation now, (it should be) buying someone in that area, a centre-back who can do the full-back role. I definitely think a left-sided centre-back who can do that left-back job.”
Ibou Konate is our German tactician’s preferred partner alongside Virgil van Dijk at the moment while Matip and Joe Gomez are having to settle for spots in reserve.
Both our No. 4 and our No. 32 are now the wrong side of 30, though, so bringing in a youthful option like Van de Ven (22) would certainly make sense.
He’s played at both centre halve and left back in the Bundesliga this season so he would tick the boxes for the sort of player Carragher is hoping to arrive at L4 this summer.
Evan Ndicka of Frankfurt is also one of the names that has been linked with Liverpool recently but our interest in him appears to have now cooled.
With Alexis Mac Allister’s move to Merseyside appearing to be on the brink of completion and numerous other names being considered by the club we look set for a busy couple of months on the transfer front.