Liverpool’s £9m offer Aissa Mandi rejected

According to a report from the Mirror, La Liga outfit Real Betis have rejected Liverpool’s initial offer of £9m for versatile defender Aissa Mandi.

The 28-year-old Mandi came through the youth ranks at Stade de Reims and went on to feature 169 times for the French club, before making the switch to Real Betis in 2016. Since moving to Spain, the defender has racked up 141 appearances, bagging five goals and two assists

.

Mandi has also been capped 55 times by the Algerian national team, with whom he won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019. Primarily a centre-back, the 28-year-old can easily slot in at right-back as well, having done so on many occasions in the past.

The 28-year-old has entered the final year of his contract with Real Betis and, hence, has heavily been linked with an exit. Liverpool have expressed an interest in securing the services of the defender, and had already submitted a £9m for the defender. (h/t Mirror)

However, that has been rejected by the La Liga outfit. But the report

states that Betis have told Liverpool that a slightly increased offer of £10.8m would be enough to sign the centre-back. (h/t Mirror)

We won the Premier League quite comfortably in 2019/20, but it is imperative that the club bolster the ranks ahead of the upcoming campaign in order to defend the title successfully, while push for other honours at the same time.

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Central defence is one area where Jurgen Klopp should look to add, especially after the departure of Dejan Lovren

, who signed for Zenit St. Petersburg once the campaign finished.

Mandi, to that end, would be a handy addition. Not only would he add depth at centre-back, he would also provide cover at right-back. He has plenty of experience at the highest level already and £10.8m, would be a bargain.