Liverpool’s defensive woes are for all to see, especially this season when they didn’t have European football to disturb their preparations for league games. The Reds have struggled to keep the opposition from scoring and have conceded 36 goals in 29 games – the most among the top six in the league.
Hence, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a number of defenders have been linked with a move to Merseyside and the latest rumour sees the Reds tracking one of Atletico Madrid’s defenders.
AS reports that the Merseyside club is ready to trigger Jose Gimenez’s release clause which is stated to be around £38.8 million. The Reds are expected to face a lot of competition for the 22-year-old centre-back as rivals Manchester United have also stated their interest in signing the Uruguayan.
Gimenez, for his part, is expected to move away from the La Liga side as he wants more regular football. The centre-back has only played in nine La Liga games this season.
The 22-year-old is known to be a no-nonsense defender. While Manchester United could blow the Reds out in terms of spending power, Liverpool will have to act fast if they are to snap up the highly-rated defender.
The Reds don’t have a lot of cover for their centre-back pairing of Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren as Lucas Leiva and Mamadou Sakho are surely set to leave the club. Gimenez could actually be ahead of Lovren in the pecking order, should Klopp sign him.
The German manager is known for his ability to work with young players and Gimenez does need a little bit of a revving up if he is to get his club career back on the right track. Gimenez would be a great addition for the Reds but the fact that United will be after the defender is a huge problem.
The valuation of the player would also be an issue and it will be a tough task to convince FSG to spend that much on a defender who hasn’t been at his best this season. Klopp probably will be looking at other targets from Germany to solve Liverpool’s problems.
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