BT Sports presenter Gary Lineker has urged Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to sign a defender when the transfer window reopens in January. Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in the summer after the defender had handed in a transfer request.

But a switch to Anfield for the Dutchman never happened and instead, Liverpool ended their interest in June after Saints said they were going to report them to the Premier League for making an alleged illegal approach.

Jurgen Klopp opted not to bring in a central defender in the summer and said he was happy with his centre-back options.

“We have four. I don’t think we need more. In the moment I’m fine,” said the German. “We are open until 31 August. We cannot force things and we would never get a centre-back ‘just because,” Klopp was quoted by BBC.

However, our defence has been our Achilles heel this season and Klopp could look for some defensive reinforcements in January.

Former England striker Lineker reckons that Liverpool need to sign a strong defender in the New Year if they are to realistically challenge for multiple trophies this season.

Speaking to BT Sport (h/t The Sport Review) on Wednesday night, Lineker said:

“They have a good squad. He’s got to go for [it in] January. That’s the key until the end of the season.

“They can’t afford to be weak back there when they’re playing lots of big teams in the competition [the Champions League].”

In terms of attack, Liverpool are probably the best side in the Premier League, with an array of flair attackers in their ranks. Since last month, we have played some eye-catching, breathtaking football and went unbeaten the entire November. That was some sort of an achievement I feel as we needed to keep pace with both Manchester clubs.

Nevertheless, Klopp has faced massive issues with our defence this season, with Dejan Lovren enduring a forgettable October. The Croatia international, however, has improved in recent times but there always remains an air of uncertainty when he’s on the field.

We have simply been outclassing teams but honestly, we need a strong and commanding centre-back in January. We have qualified for the next round of the Champions League and that’s where our main challenge lies when we face Europe’s top teams.