Having already signed two midfielders as part of a long-awaited engine room revamp, a new centre-back, preferably left-sided is also on Liverpool’s wishlist this summer.
Jurgen Klopp confirmed as much back in May when directly asked if he would like to sign a new centre-back.
"We look in all departments apart from goalkeeper at the moment," the Reds boss told reporters. "Yes, if there is a good one (centre-back) out there, I would not deny it. That's all. We look at all areas of the pitch, definitely."
Consequently, Liverpool have been linked with a host of names all summer as a result. And while club sources have dismissed speculation crediting the Reds with interest in Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard and Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio, links to other rumoured targets persist.
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Chelsea’s Levi Colwill has his admirers at Anfield, and certainly caught the eye when helping England win the Under-21s European Championships this summer. Elsewhere, Liverpool continue to be linked with Torino’s Perr Schuurs and VfL Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven, though it is Tottenham Hotspur who are reportedly currently in talks to sign the latter.
It would seem that Colwill is the current subject of Reds desires, though a transfer appears difficult to complete at this time. Football London has reported that Liverpool have made 'multiple enquiries' over the defender’s availability, but Chelsea have no desire to sell as things stand.
Brighton & Hove Albion are believed to have had bids of up to £40m rejected for their former loanee too, who will hold talks with new manager Maurico Pochettino regarding his future later this month. Colwill has two years left on his initial contract, which the Londoners can extend his deal by a further year if certain playing criteria are met, with Chelsea also keen to tie him down to a long-term extension if possible.
Ultimately, it would seem that the 20-year-old would need to push for a transfer following talks with Pochettino if Liverpool are to stand any chance of landing his signature. And game time at Stamford Bridge is set to dictate his decision.
"I’ll speak to my family, speak to everyone I need to and make a decision,” he said after the European Championships final. “I’ve got to play at the end of the day.”
As a result, Colwill’s future remains up in the air with it unclear whether Liverpool will follow up initial interest or be forced to switch their attentions elsewhere. If they are left disappointed, is there still ‘a good one' out there’?
Admittedly, there is no suggestion that it’s Colwill or nothing for the Reds this summer. As their recent signing of Dominik Szoboslzai demonstrates, they are always capable of pulling off a surprise transfer regardless, separate to who they are being linked with publicly.
But while Liverpool have had success signing players who weren’t initially first-choice targets in the past, they have also been known to wait for the right signing rather than just fill a void. Consequently, while there was no escaping the fact that the Reds needed to address their midfield this summer, it is plausible they show patience in defence if necessary.
After all, while Joel Matip has been linked with a summer exit, he still is currently expected to see out the final year of his contract. While fringe options Nat Phillips and Sepp van den Berg could follow Rhys Williams out of the exit door, Liverpool’s four first-choice senior centre-backs will be untouched as a result.
So would the Reds be willing to push ahead as they are if required, if their search for a new centre-back this summer ends up being unsuccessful? If it comes to that, such a stance would admittedly be unpopular, given how the club have fared when opting to delay strengthening at centre-back in the summer of 2020 and in midfield last summer.
Throw in the fact that all four of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip suffered with injuries last season, and Klopp’s new 3-2-2-3 formation arguably requires more strength-in-depth at centre-back, and not recruiting would be a rather big gamble.
At least, if it comes to it, Liverpool could retain the services of one back-up solution who is even currently of interest to Bayer Leverkusen, according to reports.
Luke Chambers is highly rated at Anfield and featured for the Reds first team both in pre-season last year and in their mid-season friendlies, prior to joining Kilmarnock on loan for the second half of the campaign. Impressing in Scotland, he’s the subject of loan interest once again, this time from the Championship, though reports in Germany claim that Leverkusen are also in talks to sign the teenager.
Managed by Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso, the Bundesliga outfit tended to line up in variations of a 3-4-3 formation following the Spaniard’s appointment last October. In such a set-up, Chambers would be an obvious option as left wing-back.
However, the England youth international is extremely versatile, as demonstrated by the number of different positions he played at Kilmarnock. While most of his minutes came in his traditional left-back position, he also made appearances at left wing-back, left-midfield, centre-midfield, and centre-back during his time north of the border.
Consequently, he is also well suited to lining up as a left-sided centre-back in a three-man defence, where he could well find himself on occasions if he did join Leverkusen, along with his more natural flank position.
Club sources suggest that a move to the Bundesliga is not close yet, despite recent reports in Germany, with the Reds traditionally giving younger players the opportunity to impress in pre-season before deciding if they will be promoted to the first team, remain at youth level, or depart on loan. However, it’s acknowledged that, looking to take that next step after Kilmarnock, Leverkusen would be an eye-catching opportunity for Chambers if a move did materialise.
But if a side competing in the Europa League are interested in signing the 19-year-old, could he not emerge as an option for Liverpool himself? After all, both the Reds and Leverkusen will be among the top seeds for this season’s group stage.
Of his 16 appearances for Kilmarnock, 15 came from the start. 11 of those outings came at either left-back or left wing-back, while he was turned to at centre-back twice, having also lined up in such a position on occasions under Klopp in friendlies.
Liverpool’s interest in a new left-sided centre-back is initially to provide them with a more natural defensive option as an alternative to Andy Robertson, who can also later emerge as a long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk. Chambers admittedly only ticks one of those boxes, even if that ensures he would be comfortable in the Reds’ new formation in the hybrid left-back/left centre-back role.
Admittedly the young defender is still raw with only half a season of senior football under his belt. Following his time in Scotland, you’d expect him to need to take one or two more steps, not yet ready for the physicality of top flight English football, before he’d be ready for consistent first-team action at Anfield.
But with Klopp still possessing his four senior centre-backs, Premier League opportunities will be limited regardless. Instead, game time could follow in the Europa League group stage and League Cup, before re-assessing his situation in January. One smaller step forward at Anfield is still possible in the months ahead.
Stefan Bajcetic’s emergence last year proves how it is possible for a youngster to force his way into the first team ahead of schedule off the back of an impressive pre-season. As a result, it makes sense for Liverpool to assess Chambers in pre-season before making a definitive decision about his future.
In an ideal world, the Reds sign a new centre-back before watching Chambers take giant strides out on loan at Leverkusen or in the Championship. But if Liverpool aren’t able to strengthen accordingly this summer and have to reassess their options, at least Alonso's interest in the defender suggests they already possess a last resort solution for their overlooked hybrid role if required.
