By Aaron Conlon
Liverpool have reportedly entered a race for Ecuadorian international centre-back Willian Pacho. The 6”2 centre half has impressed this season playing in 28 Bundesliga matches so far for Eintracht Frankfurt this campaign, keeping 7 clean sheets and conceding 35. According to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal are also in the race for the 22-year-old.
With the departure of Joel Matip in the summer the Reds will be left bare for centre-back choice and reinforcements will be first priority, especially if the favourite for the vacant Liverpool job, Ruben Amorim, gets the job, with his three-back system definitely requires extra cover in defence as provided Matip does leave once his contract expires as he is expected to, the Red’s will only have four first-team centre backs.
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The Reds, if they do look to sign a centre-back, will certainly target a left-footed centre half with none currently being at the club. From last summer to the present, reports of Liverpool being interested in Sporting left-footed defender Goncalo Inacio have seemed to refuse to go away, however as Plettenberg has revealed on his X account, Liverpool are interested in Willian Pacho and have already held talks with Frankfurt over the deal. Plettenberg then went on to further claim that the German outfit are well aware that there is plenty of attraction towards their star player and would demand a fee of around £43m, notably, a fee that is lower than the reported fees required for Sporting duo Goncalo Inaco and Ousmane Diomande who have both been intensely linked with Liverpool.
“Arsenal and Liverpool are still interested in Pacho and inquired about him. Eintracht Frankfurt is aware. The 22 y/o is allowed to leave Eintracht in the summer if someone pays between €50-60m in transfer fees. This price tag has been set. Contract valid until 2028. Key player.” – Plettenberg via X
This relatively low fee may appease the Reds as it would facilitate another possible move for a different option alongside to bulk up Liverpool’s defensive depth and avoid them from leaving themselves in shallow water in congested periods. The theme of this summer’s transfer window may well be a new defensive rebuild.
We Need To Talk About Mo Salah.
Redmen Reacts
Described as ‘world-class’ by manager Dino Toppmoller, the powerful defender certainly ticks plenty of boxes for the Reds albeit almost impossible to predict how the summer will play out at present with the ongoing uncertainty around the soon-to-be vacant managerial post.
Despite this, with the almost inevitable exit of Matip, continued injury and fitness concerns over Ibrahima Konate, it’s safe to assume that whoever succeeds Jurgen Klopp will be looking to bolster the central defensive ranks as a minimum.
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