Liverpool’s summer transfer plans are starting to solidify as the Reds look to build on an excellent season.
The Premier League title can be secured on Sunday, underlining what a special campaign it has been under Arne Slot.
But Liverpool will not rest on their laurels, with a busy summer of activity expected at Anfield.
Over recent weeks, Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen has emerged as one of Liverpool’s primary targets for the window.
However, there is plenty of competition for Huijsen, with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle and Real Madrid all supposedly fighting hard to land the 20-year-old.
Having spoken with his agents already, there have been suggestions that Liverpool are confident of securing Huijsen’s signing. But with the young Spaniard yet to decide his next move, the Reds are reportedly lining up two alternatives.
Liverpool eyeing Dean Huijsen alternatives
Huijsen has shown over the course of the season that he is a top-level defender in the making. His £50m release clause also means he is get-able for a reasonable fee this summer.
Of course, while these are some of the aspects which have attracted Liverpool to Huijsen, they have also made him a desirable addition for a number of other teams.
As a result, Liverpool have to have a back-up plan. And according to journalist David Lynch, that could involve Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande and Konstantinos Koulierakis of Wolfsburg.
“They’ve wanted a young centre-half for a long time,” Lynch tells The Redmen TV. “Think back to last summer with the Leny Yoro links, if the money hadn’t have been crazy that Manchester United threw at him Liverpool would have been there.”
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“I know they’ve been watching Diomande at Sporting, I think Koulierakis is another one. So, there’s quite a few young centre-halves that they are keeping an eye on. This has been something they’ve wanted for a while.”
“It is with the mindset that Joe Gomez is probably going to move on,” adds the reporter. “So, you need another and the ideal is you put them in that third or fourth choice role and then they grow and you’ve got a successor then to the experienced guys.”
“Even if it’s not Huijsen, even if he does go elsewhere, I still think that’s an area Liverpool will look to strengthen with that particular profile.”
Liverpool targeting ‘next Josko Gvardiol’
Back when Liverpool were linked with Yoro last summer, we wrote of how the Reds should be targeting Huijsen as well. Had they listened to Rousing The Kop, Liverpool could have save a big chunk of cash!
As it is, the battle for Huijsen may leave them looking elsewhere. And in Diomande and Koulierakis, Liverpool have chosen two good options.
21-year-old Diomande has once again been a key figure for Sporting this season, while bundesliga.com have likened Koulierakis – who is also 21 – to Man City’s Josko Gvardiol.
The Greek won’t come cheap, with Sport Bild reporting in February that Wolfsburg will be looking for around £34m to sell this summer.
But given Gvardiol cost comfortably more than twice that when joining City in 2023, Liverpool might not see that as being bad business. Huijsen is seemingly the first choice, but the Reds are in good hands if it doesn’t happen.
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