Jurgen Klopp has reportedly urged the Liverpool hierarchy to do whatever it takes to sign one defensive transfer target from Serie A.
According to Tuttosport (via Daily Express), the Reds are ready to go back to Torino with an offer of €40m (£34.3m) for Perr Schuurs, having seen a €30m (£25.7m) bid rejected.
The 56-year-old is believed to have wanted the Dutch centre-back for more than two years already and has implored Anfield chiefs to get a deal done for the player at any cost, although Napoli are also in the frame for him.
Considering the track record Liverpool have in the transfer market during Klopp’s near-eight year tenure at the club, the board would generally be wise to heed the requests of the manager.
If he’s seemingly so keen to get Schuurs to Anfield, he must view the 23-year-old as someone who’d be a perfect fit for what he wants from his defence.
The 6 foot 3 centre-back is unsurprisingly dominant in the air given his height, winning two aerial duels per game last season in Serie A (WhoScored), while his tackling average of 1.97 per match ranks him among the top 19% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues in the last 12 months (FBref).
He’s also adept at retaining possession, with an 88.1% pass completion rate over the past year (FBref), so he seems to boast plenty of quality both on and off the ball.
Klopp appears to have made his opinion of the player very clear, so now it’s over to the hierarchy at Anfield to do whatever they can to try and grant the manager his wish regarding Schuurs.
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