Life for the average Liverpool FC supporter has not been the breeziest of times over the last few weeks, with injuries, positive COVID-19 reports involving star players, and not the best of starts to the domestic season, all playing a significant part in that.
An unprecedented and quite possibly a season-ending injury for Virgil van Dijk was followed up with further injuries plaguing the Premier League champions, settling the likes of Trent Alexander Arnold, Joe Gomez, and Fabinho on the recovery table for now as the 2020-21 season heads into the month of December, one which presents itself as the most intense period of scheduling in world football.
January could not have come at a more crucial juncture for the Reds as the winter transfer window, which opens on the turn of the new year, presents itself as the perfect opportunity for Jurgen Klopp to bring in additional reinforcements for the backline.
The Liverpool FC boss currently has only Joel Matip to call upon as his sole fully fit centre-back, and considering that the Cameroon international is perhaps the most injury-prone out of all first-teamers at Anfield, having made just three league starts in a span of 14 months, Klopp will be convinced to look elsewhere in the transfer market for other options.
A host of names have been linked with a January move to the Merseyside giants, but what remains to be seen is whether Klopp will be tempted one final time to dip in the market and acquire fresh blood in order to shore up an injury-depleted defensive department at Anfield.
Here are three names amongst the wide-fold shortlist reportedly eyed by the Liverpool FC board ahead of an ever-important winter transfer window:
Ozan Kabak
Arguably the most spoken about names in all the transfer chatter related to the Reds, the Schalke starlet has certainly made his mark in the Bundesliga this past year with a great run of form.
Kabak was a summer target for the Anfield outfit, but the Champions of England decided to proceed on without bringing in further reinforcements, opting only to sign Diogo Jota as a cover for the attack line.
The 20-year-old Turkish international has had a recent run-in with disciplinary issues whilst on the pitch, but that does not falter his great sense of defensive awareness at the back, which has made him a regular fixture of late in Manuel Baum’s side.
Ben White
The up-and-coming Brighton star was another one of the defensive targets that were reportedly looked upon by Klopp this summer on the back of White’s fantastic loan spell last season in Leeds United’s promotional campaign to top-flight football.
Now a regular in the Seagull’s side week in and week out, White has developed into a much more composed figure on the ball under the expert guidance of Graham Potter.
Despite ruling out a highly touted move to Liverpool in a recent interview, White remains a potential target for Jurgen Klopp’s side and the Englishman seems the perfect fit to provide some much-needed cover for the Reds in the centre-back spot.
David Alaba
The Bayern Munich mega star’s name is being linked with the Reds quite a lot since the last couple of weeks after the German club’s chief admitted publicly that it would not be an easy task to convince the in-demand defender to extend his stay at the Allianz Arena.
Alaba is the most experienced of all the players on the radar of Liverpool FC for now, and with the 28-year-old’s current deal with Bayern expiring next summer, Klopp surely has an opportunity pull off another Thiago Alcantara-like signing on a cut-price deal.
Recent reports claim that Juventus do lead the race to land Alaba’s signature, but Liverpool FC have it in themselves to walk away with a prized signing of the Bayern star’s calibre, and should rightly do so following recent events not favouring the Merseysiders on the injury front.
