Failure to land any of the first-name targets on their January shortlist might force Jurgen Klopp’s hand in going after Napoli central defender Nikola Maksimovic, according to reports from the Mirror.
The 29-year-old defender is being looked at as an alternative option to add to a severely injury-hit Reds backline, which is bound to miss the first-choice pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez for the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign due to long-term injury layoffs for the defensive duo.
With the onset of the January transfer window, a number of top defenders across Europe such as David Alaba and Sven Botman have been linked with a switch to Anfield, only for the Merseyside giants to halt their approach for either of the aforementioned names due to the financial difficulties having been imposed by COVID-19.
Going after Maksimovic could be an attempt to shore up options in the heart of the defence for the Champions of England at a cut-price deal, with the Serbian international’s teammate in the Napoli shirt, Kalidou Koulibaly, fetching a price-tag of £100 million.
Maksimovic’s addition to the first-team ranks at Anfield is certain to provide Klopp with much-needed short-term cover in the central defender spot, something that the Reds gaffer has been urged to work upon heading into the midway of this season.
