Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that the Reds are unlikely to sign a new center-back in the January transfer window, although they do not have first-choice couple Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez for several months. and Joel Matip also has a regular doubt about injuries.
Fabinho has been the one constant at center-back over the past six weeks and has been linked at different times by Nat Phillips, Rhys Williams and even Jordan Henderson during Matip’s absences. Van Dijk and Gomez might not return to action this season.
Liverpool have kept an eye on a number of center-back targets, especially from a long-term perspective. But even though it hadn’t been ruled out before – and still isn’t – for the Reds to dive into the market this month if the right opportunity for the right price arose, they still geared their plans towards summer and that has not changed under the circumstances.
Klopp highlighted the coronavirus crisis and the associated financial impact making life difficult in the transfer market, suggesting that Liverpool would have otherwise be in the market. But if a short-term, interim solution is the only option available, he is not interested in doing business.
“There can be clubs without financial problems. But this club was, and always will be with these owners, very responsible for what we do. I can’t say for sure that we won’t bring one, but it’s just not likely due to the situation around the world, ”Klopp said, via BBC Sport.
“If the world was in a normal place, everything would be fine: we won the league, won the Champions League, the club is in the best possible situation and then you have three injured senior center-halves, is it a situation where you would generally do something?
“Yes, definitely, but we’re not in that situation. I don’t know if something will happen or not. Maybe you could do something, but it would be a short term fix and we don’t have that short term fix and it’s not fair because it doesn’t help. “
Liverpool had been intending to sign another center-back since Dejan Lovren was sold to Zenit Saint Petersburg in July and the scouts followed Ozan Kabak from Schalke, Pau Torres from Villarreal, Mykola Matvienko from Shakhtar Donetsk, Jules Kounde from Seville and Dayot from RB Leipzig. Upamecano since then, as they are evaluating potential options.
Sven Botman, Merih Demiral and Felix Uduokhai have also been linked more recently.
In the short term, Liverpool are hoping Matip will be fit enough to return to action when he takes on Manchester United in the Premier League on January 17.
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