Liverpool have agreed an initial £69 million fee to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, and Alexander Isak continues to be linked with a move to the Anfield club.
The Reds have already broken their transfer record this summer, signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for £116 million.
They have also added Milos Kerkez from AFC Bournemouth for £40 million at left-back, and Jeremie Frimpong, who will provide competition for Conor Bradley at £29.5 million after the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Those new Liverpool additions are also joined by three new goalkeepers – Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman, and Armin Pesci – in the most expensive transfer window of FSG’s ownership.
Despite all of those signings, Arne Slot is still missing one important piece to the team that could be a problem
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Liverpool are yet to sign a centre-back despite Marc Guehi transfer links
Despite the large spend this summer, Liverpool are still yet to improve upon their centre-back ranks, which are a clear problem before the new Premier League season.
The Reds did hold an interest in centre-back Marc Guehi, though links with the England international and 2025 FA Cup winner seem to have gone quiet.
The centre-back had been heavily rumoured as the replacement for Jarell Quansah after his transfer from Liverpool to Bayer Leverkusen.
Indeed, earlier this summer, Fabrizio Romano posted on X that Guehi had been “on the shortlist for months and appreciated by Liverpool”, and remained “high on Liverpool list as new centre back”, but he did add he was “not the only option”.
Regardless, the Reds cannot enter the new season with only three senior centre-backs in captain Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez.
That leaves Slot in an awkward position, which could lead to a repeat of a mistake from Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool must avoid repeating Jurgen Klopp mistake
The last time Liverpool struggled with their centre-back options was back in 2020-21, when they ended the season with a pairing of Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams.
The Reds did re-qualify for the Champions League, finishing third, but it was not the title defence expected.
Phillips, 28, finally ended his time with the club this summer, completing a permanent move to West Bromwich Albion.
Meanwhile, Williams is back with Liverpool after his sixth loan spell, and may finally secure a permanent exit this summer.
Konate is yet to sign a new contract, while Gomez only managed 11 minutes after December 29 after suffering another injury at Plymouth Argyle.
There are concerns Konate could follow Trent Alexander-Arnold in joining Real Madrid on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract next summer.
Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, and Andy Robertson – as he did against Preston – can all deputise ably at centre-back, but that would not be ideal going into the new season.
Youngster Luca Stephenson also played the first half against Preston at centre-back, which he said was not his “natural position”, but he thinks being versatile is a “good thing”.
With all that in mind, it seems that while a striker has been a priority, perhaps another centre-back is more important in the current situation.