Liverpool are looking for a new centre-back, but Real Madrid could compete with them in the transfer market.
Although Jurgen Klopp admitted in May that Liverpool were looking for a new centre-back, the Reds ultimately failed to strengthen their position this summer.
“At the moment we are looking at all departments except the goalkeeper,” the German said at the time. “Yeah, if it’s a good (middle back), I wouldn’t rule it out. That’s it. We’ll definitely look at all areas.”
Finally, Liverpool decided to focus on strengthening their midfield. There was interest in Levi Colwill and Micky van den Ven, but the former signed a new long-term deal with Chelsea, while the latter made a £43m move to Tottenham Hotspur. After the surprise departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia, the Reds opted to bring in Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch, along with Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai, who arrived earlier in the window.
Despite Ibrahima Konate injured for several games and Virgil van Dijk serving a two-match ban for sending off against Newcastle United, Liverpool did not regret the move. Joel Matip and Joe Gomez have so far remained injury-free and fared much better than last year, while the emergence of 20-year-old centre-back Jarell Quansah as a genuine option has been a welcome surprise.
But that doesn’t mean the Reds won’t strengthen their defense over the next 12 months. In reality, they can’t afford it, with Van Dijk comfortably on the wrong side of 30, Matip out of contract next summer and expected to stay, and both Konate and Gomez historically vulnerable.
With the last 18 months spent revamping first the attack and then the midfield, it is only natural that the defense is the next target for the club bosses.
Meanwhile, several names continue to be associated with Liverpool. Former ECHO reporter Neil Jones reported that the Reds were looking at Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio, Benfica’s Antonio Silva and Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie. For the latter, the player’s agent would even confirm the Reds’ interest in the client earlier this week.
“Liverpool were interested in him, but at the time they decided to invest in midfield,” Manuel Sierra told JoaquÃn Saavedra, via Bolavipi. – In January they talk like other clubs, it will not be less than 50 million pounds.
However, the agent later clarified such comments, claiming that his response was lost in translation.
“I was asked directly about Liverpool’s interest in Piero Hincapie and of course they like him,” he stated. “But I never said they made a serious offer or would do so in January.
“Many clubs are looking at him because he is a young and interesting talent, but now he is focused on Leverkusen.”
So it remains to be seen whether Liverpool will fulfill their initial interest in the Ecuadorian. Didn’t move Van de Ven in part due to VfL Wolfsburg’s asking price, it could be argued that the same would be the case if Leverkusen accepted more than £50m for Hincapie. However, the Reds’ situation may change. While they targeted a young left-sided centre-back as a first-round player who could develop into a long-term replacement for Matip or Van Dijk and also play on the left wing, the emergence of Quansah himself fills the role of that. gradual successor – although without being a left back. As a result, Liverpool could theoretically adapt the profile of their desired new centre-back if/when Matip moves on.
But whatever the Reds plan to do next to bolster their defense could throw Real Madrid into a bind. And not for the first time. Liverpool’s efforts to rebuild the midfield have been partially derailed by the La Liga giants on two occasions, with Aurelien Tchouameni opting to switch from Anfield to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2022, before Jude Bellingham joined the Frenchman in the Spanish capital this summer. . The Reds were already forced to end their interest in the England international before he made his intentions clear, but it seems Real Madrid would be his favourite.
The two midfielders will cost Madrid a combined initial fee of £156.3m, rising to a possible £200m with add-ons. The selection of midfielders like Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde is one of the strongest quotas in Europe and only gets better with age. Most of them haven’t reached their prime yet, so Real Madrid managed to find long-term successors to Casemiro, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. However, this type of trade came at the expense of other arrivals. Elsewhere, they made the most of free transfers, loan deals, reduced fees, the return of loanees and buy-back options to strengthen the rest of their squad.
That’s why there were no big-name replacements for the departing Karim Benzema this summer after their own Bosman left for Al-Ittihad. But apart from another prolific forward targeting their defense in the future, they need a major overhaul soon.
Real Madrid has four senior central defenders: Eder Militao, David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger and Nacho Fernandez. However, the former is out until next spring with an ACL injury, while the other three are all on the wrong side of 30. Meanwhile, Nacho is also out of contract next summer.
Meanwhile, right-backs Daniel Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez are both also on the wrong side of the 30, with the latter out of contract next summer, while left-back remains a problem for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. In 11 matches, he had to play with players in four different positions.
Meanwhile, right-back Daniel Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez are both also on the wrong side of 30, with the latter out of contract next summer, while left-back remains a problem area for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. In 11 matches, he had to play with players in four different positions.
Fran Garcia has made the most appearances there this season since the 24-year-old returned to the club from Rayo Vallecano in the summer after activating his €5m buy-back clause after the transfer budget exceeded Bellingham’s. Ferland Mendy is their other tried and tested option, but the 28-year-old’s recurring injury problems make left-back the main issue at the Bernabeu.
Elsewhere, both Camavinga and Alaba have had to fulfill their roles out of position, with 19 of the Frenchman’s appearances this calendar year coming as a left-back rather than his main defender. Real Madrid and Liverpool are seemingly competing in the exact same transfer market again, with both clubs ideally looking for a left-back whose prime years are still ahead of him.
Hincapie would be one such player and Real Madrid have also been repeatedly linked with the 21-year-old along with the Reds in recent months.
Transfermarkt believe the Ecuadorian defender has made 38 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen as a centre-back and 32 as a left-back. Meanwhile, seven wingers used to play left midfield, mostly as a left wing back in a 3-4-3 formation. Such versatility would tick the boxes for both Liverpool and Real Madrid.
However, if the La Liga giants move for Hincapie, they could gain an advantage over the Reds when Ancelotti leaves the club to pursue a career in Brazil next summer. Leverkusen manager (and ex-Liverpool and Madrid player) Xabi Alonso is said to be at the top of their wish list to replace the legendary Italian, after his year in charge of the German club saw the most striking turnaround in fortunes.
According to reports in German, Alonso has a clause in his contract that allows such a move next summer as well, with Bild claiming he has a special clause in his contract that allows him to move to any of his three former clubs in Liverpool. , Bayern Munich. and Real Madrid. signing an extension until 2026 in August.
While he is equally seen as Klopp’s replacement at Anfield or Thomas Tuchel’s replacement in Bavaria when the time comes, Madrid appear to be the side ready to make such a move first. The German is certainly not leaving Liverpool anytime soon, as he is under contract until 2026 and recently turned down a call-up for his country.
“We are in September,” Alonso said two weeks ago when asked about rumors linking him to Real Madrid. “It’s not a problem.” However, this does not stop the speculation and does not rule out a move back to the Bernabeu in 2024.
Should he make such a move, he would have a good chance of bringing in Hincapie from Leverkusen as Real Madrid look to strengthen their defence. A reunion would be a clear advantage to decide the future of the left-back.
But even if the Ecuadorian is not the answer, and regardless of who replaces Ancelotti next year, Liverpool will still have to prepare to battle the Spanish giants again in the transfer market. Both need new defenders and, as the Reds discovered this summer, cheap, quality options are few and far between.
