Liverpool eye a move for Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix
Sporting Director Jorg Schmadtke went 3.5/4 over the summer transfer window bringing in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch to Liverpool. The German now wants to bring centre-back Maxence Lacroix to the Reds from his former employers, Wolfsburg.
The 23-year-old centre-back represents most things that Liverpool would want. A quick and strong centre-back who often steps out of the line and makes interceptions well before the attackers get close to the box, his style of play goes perfectly well with that of Virgil van Dijk who rather anticipates what’s coming and waits for the forwards to make a move.
Winning the ball back much higher would help ease the transitional phase for the Reds from defence to attack which is the USP of Jurgen Klopp’s constant pressure modus operandi. The Reds’ scouts would have total information on Lacroix because it was Schamdtke in charge at Wolfsburg as the Technical Director back in 2020 when the Frenchman switched from FC Sochaux.
According to the Mirror via ESPN, Joel Matip’s unfortunate ACL rupture in the 4-3 win against Fulham has cornered the Reds in a situation wherein signing a centre-back is necessary. Apart from Virgil, the Reds have the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah who can partner with VVD.
Should the Reds invest in a CB?
However, we all know how injury-prone Konate is. Liverpool must surely ease into things with Quansah as well considering he is just 20 and does not have top-flight experience. Someone like Lacroix comes in handy in such a situation. As Jurgen Klopp rightly said in his press conference a few days ago, no team would want to sell a half-decent centre-back considering the current levels of scarcity.
Wolfsburg however, are open to the idea of parting ways with Lacroix but at a fee of €30m. The Reds should be able to afford this fee comfortably. It is not a question of affordability but a question of necessities at the moment. We are one injury away from starting a 20-year-old in a position as crucial as this.
That is why, it becomes crucial for Liverpool to weigh their options and put their best foot forward in terms of negotiations for the player. Die Wolfe are currently in the 11th spot on the Bundesliga charts and would ideally want Lacroix to see the season out and secure a respectable position on the table. His contract runs until 2025 (Transfermarkt) so the two upcoming windows present a good chance for Niko Kovac’s side to earn a decent fee for the player.
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Lacroix’s ability on the ball will also see him take up a major role in the build-up play. Only time will tell whether or not he makes a switch to Liverpool, but on paper, it seems like he would fit in pretty well into our style of play.
