Liverpool now eyeing “immense” £43m star

Liverpool are set to be out there so as to add a brand new central defender to their squad after including Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Milos Kerkez to the group.

Wirtz and Frimpong have already been confirmed as new signings, each becoming a member of from Bayer Leverkusen, while Kerkez is reportedly on the verge of a transfer to Anfield.

The Premier League champions will then want to seek out one other centre-back to compete for a spot within the workforce, as a result of Jarell Quansah is ready to maneuver on from Merseyside.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that Bayer Leverkusen have agreed a deal price an preliminary £30m to signal the England U21 worldwide from the Reds this summer time.

Quansah was the third centre-back for Arne Slot through the 2024/25 marketing campaign, behind Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, which implies that the membership might want to discover one other participant to fill that slot.

Liverpool have already missed out on one centre-back they had been reportedly fascinated with, although, as Actual Madrid snapped up Dean Huijsen earlier this summer time.

Why lacking out on Dean Huijsen was a blow for Liverpool

It was reported in Might that Liverpool had been making ready to make a bid to signal the Spain worldwide from Bournemouth, however Actual Madrid swooped in to signal him for a reported charge of £50m.

Lacking out on a deal for the 20-year-old defender was a blow for the Reds as a result of he’s a confirmed Premier League performer who may have hit the bottom operating at Anfield, having already showcased his high quality within the division for the Cherries.

Huijsen began 26 of his 32 appearances for Bournemouth within the top-flight through the 2024/25 marketing campaign, and his performances had been spectacular sufficient to earn a £50m switch to the Bernabeu.

As you possibly can see within the desk above, the Spanish titan mixed progressive play in possession with stable defensive work, as proven by how extremely he ranked towards his positional friends.

This additional emphasises how a lot of a blow it was to overlook out on the younger centre-back, as he may have been a standout performer for Liverpool if he may carry that type over to Anfield.

The Reds may, nevertheless, land a fair larger expertise than Huijsen as they’re now eyeing up a really proficient teenage central defender as a possible signing.

Liverpool eyeing up Ajax star

In line with the Athletic, the Premier League champions are primarily fascinated with a deal to signal Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi to switch Quansah earlier than the tip of the summer time switch window.

Nevertheless, the report claims that the Reds will solely press forward with a transfer for the England worldwide if the Eagles, who gained the FA Cup this season, quote an inexpensive asking value for him.

The Athletic, due to this fact, provides that Liverpool are different choices to Guehi, and Ajax central defender Jorrel Hato has emerged as a goal for the membership.

It was beforehand reported by FootballTransfers that Ajax worth the centre-back at a charge of round £43m, and that fellow Premier League facet Arsenal are additionally eager on the Dutchman.

Slot ought to, now, push for Liverpool to safe a deal to signal Hato this summer time as a result of he’s a fair larger centre-back expertise than each Guehi and Huijsen.

Why Hato is a much bigger expertise than Guehi and Huijsen

The 19-year-old star’s progress with Ajax at an extremely younger age means that he has large potential and will go on to be a high centre-back sooner or later.

Hato, regardless of not turning 20 till March 2026, has performed a staggering 111 first-team matches for the Dutch giants. Huijsen, for reference, has solely performed 53 profession video games on the age of 20, while Guehi had performed simply 26 matches by the age of 19, and 71 video games by the age of 20.

This implies that the Dutch starlet is a much bigger expertise at his age than Huijsen and Guehi had been, as a result of he performed greater than twice as many video games because the Spaniard and over 4 instances as many matches because the Englishman on the identical age.

Hato has additionally captained Ajax a number of instances, on the ages of simply 17 and 18, which means that he can deliver management qualities at a really younger age, simply as Guehi, who’s Palace’s captain, can.

As you possibly can see within the desk above, the 19-year-old starlet additionally matched up properly towards Guehi at league degree this season, regardless of being 5 years youthful than the Eagles star, as he gained a better share of his floor duels and was dribbled previous much less steadily.

Hato, who was hailed as “immense” by expertise scout Jacek Kulig, additionally offers positional flexibility, as he has performed 70 video games or extra as each a centre-back and a left-back.

Whereas Guehi has by no means performed greater than two matches away from a centre-back function, and Huijsen has by no means performed some other place aside from centre-back in his profession.

Which means the Ajax titan would provide much more versatility to Slot, as a result of his means to play at left-back, in addition to the defensive and management qualities that he can provide.

Total, Liverpool may land a fair larger expertise than Guehi and Huijsen due to what Hato has already achieved in his profession at such a younger age, and the standard that he can present within the right here and now.