Liverpool have held talks over the potential signing of Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah.
That’s according to 90min, who claim that the Reds are set to battle Newcastle United for the centre-back’s signing.
To that end, Liverpool are said to have ‘spoken to intermediaries’ close to Tah. The defender, who turns twenty-seven tomorrow, is said to be ‘interested’ in a move to England.
West Ham United are claimed to be another interested in signing the Leverkusen man. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur ‘explored’ moving for Tah during the recent transfer window. With Spurs prioritising other signings though, the German ended up staying put.
Tah a good option for Liverpool
Tah could be a clever signing for Liverpool. Now approaching his peak years, he’s no longer the star of the future he was once seen as being. Nevertheless, he’s still a good player who looks ready for the next step.
If he were to join Liverpool, it’s likely that he wouldn’t be coming in as a first-choice option. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have that locked down when they’re both fit and Tah isn’t young enough to usurp either in the future.
But with Joel Matip potentially on his way out of Anfield and Joe Gomez failing to convince, the Reds may need back-up soon.
And what better back-up to Van Dijk than a player compared with our No.4 himself. Granted, plenty of central defenders find themselves with unhelpful comparisons to Virgil these days. He is the benchmark after all.
In Tah’s case though, you can see some similarities. Former Leverkusen boss Peter Bosz certainly thinks so anyway. Back in 2020 the Dutch coach said his player shared some attributes with Virgil.
“I certainly see parallels between Jonathan and Virgil van Dijk,” he said via Voetbal International. “I know Van Dijk well because he comes from the Netherlands. He [Van Dijk] has taken steps, but he too has had to master the aggressiveness in defence. I’m sure Jonathan will succeed in that too.
“I think he [Tah] is at his best when he plays aggressively. (If he does that from now on) he is a top player.”
Those kinds of evaluations have led to plenty of interest for Tah in the past. The Germany international was very heavily linked with a move to West Ham two years ago. Back then, a fee of £25m was mooted. With two years to go on his deal, you feel a similar price may get him now. That could be smart business for Liverpool.