This week, The Athletic is looking ahead to another potentially busy summer transfer window for Liverpool.
On Tuesday, we cast our eye over potential attacking targets, then assessed possible midfield options. Today, attention turns to the defence.
Liverpool have already been busy in this area, signing 20-year-old centre-back Jeremy Jacquet from Ligue 1 side Rennes for an initial £55million in January, but allowing him to remain with the French club for the remainder of the season. Despite that, questions remain across the back line due to injury concerns at right-back, ongoing uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate’s future as free agency beckons and Andrew Robertson’s confirmed departure after nine years at Anfield.
When the summer 2025 transfer window closed, Liverpool’s depth looked relatively healthy with two right-backs (Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong), two left-backs (Milos Kerkez and Robertson) and four centre-backs (Virgil van Dijk, Konate, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni). Attempts to fortify their defence further by signing Marc Guehi were halted when Crystal Palace pulled the plug on a deal late on deadline day.
However, with the exception of left-back, where Kerkez and Robertson have stayed fit and been rotated, injuries have hit them hard, with midfielders such as Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones having to fill in at right-back and Van Dijk and Konate carrying the load at centre-back due to the unavailability of Leoni and Gomez.
The Athletic took a look at where they may need to fortify defensively in the coming months.
Right-backs
Six players have started at right-back for Liverpool this season — Frimpong, Bradley, Gomez, Szoboszlai, Jones and Wataru Endo. The position has been a constant headache for head coach Arne Slot.
Since the 5-1 Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt on October 22, when Frimpong picked up his second hamstring injury since joining in the summer, he and Bradley have only both been named in the same matchday squad on five occasions.
Liverpool could simply hope for better luck with injuries at right-back next season but it would be a risk given what has happened in this one and the knock-on effect that has had on Slot’s team selections.
If they were to recruit here, the question is what profile should they be looking at.
They lost a passing cheat-code with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid almost a year ago and replaced him with a completely different profile of player in Frimpong. The Netherlands international is much more effective at joining attacks in their latter stages than being involved in the initial build-up, which is where his English predecessor excelled.
Writing off Frimpong as a right-back despite him only starting more than two games consecutively in that position once in his debut season feels unfair. However, Jones has operated there in recent matches and in his pre-Crystal Palace press conference last month, Slot said that while the midfielder was not a “copy of Trent (Alexander-Arnold)”, he was “really comfortable on the ball”.
Denzel Dumfries
Current club: Inter
Age: 30
If Liverpool wanted to double down on their shift of right-back profile, then Frimpong’s countryman is a viable option. Dumfries is not going to be a crucial feature in the initial build-up phase either, but he can combine with team-mates, as his metrics for link-up play and goal-threat show.
He was part of discussions between Liverpool and Inter in January, when the Italian side were enquiring about Jones. There is no indication they will move for him, but a relatively low €25million (£21.7m/$29.3m at current rates) release clause could prove tempting.
Having turned 30 last month, his age would deviate from the club’s usual model but with Liverpool set to lose defensive experience this summer through Robertson’s departure (at least), he could offer that, and exceptions have been made in the past.
Pedro Porro
Current club: Tottenham Hotspur
Age: 26
While Alexander-Arnold is a unique right-back and therefore impossible to replace like-for-like, Porro was always a candidate who showed up in the data.
As his pizza chart below shows, this is largely because he is constantly looking to pass progressively.
The Spain international is a playmaker from right-back and supplies plenty of crosses, which would delight striker Alexander Isak.
Defensively, he likes to be on the front foot (89 out of 99) and excels in one-v-one defending (81 out of 99), which is calculated as the percentage of dribblers tackled as a total share of total dribblers challenged.
As with a lot of players at relegation-threatened Spurs, Porro’s future and price tag this summer will be heavily dependent on what division the north London club are going to be in next season.
Jules Kounde
Current club: Barcelona
Age: 27
Kounde has spent this season predominantly playing right-back but has featured at centre-back for large parts of his career, so would offer versatility.
The France international is comfortable operating in a possession-based team that plays a high line after almost four years at Barcelona and is able to pass progressively and contribute creatively. Defensively, he is quick, wants to be on the front foot (88 out of 99) and is above average when dealing with attackers one-v-one (68 out of 99).
A regular for Barca, Kounde would be expensive — he signed a new five-year contract in August — and the question would be whether this is a position Liverpool feel they need to devote a significant portion of their summer budget to.
Lutsharel Geertruida
Current club: RB Leipzig
Age: 25
Liverpool held talks over a deal that would have brought Geertruida to Anfield in January. The RB Leipzig defender has spent this season on loan at Sunderland and the possibility of cutting that spell short to facilitate a winter-window move to the champions was deemed too complicated.
Geertruida, who turns 26 in July, worked with Slot previously at Feyenoord and has the versatility — he can play right-back, centre-back and defensive midfield — to be a valuable squad member who would need no introduction to the head coach’s preferred system.
It doesn’t appear that the option-to-buy clause in his Sunderland loan deal will be triggered so Geertruida, who has made 26 Premier League appearances this season, could be available for a permanent move. Liverpool viewed him as a short-term fix at the start of this year but are unlikely to go back in for him as things stand.
Left-back
One decision that appears to have already been made is at left-back, where Robertson needs to be replaced.
The Athletic reported that Kostas Tsimikas, who has spent this season on loan at Roma, is hoping to force his way into Slot’s thoughts in pre-season, and the head coach recently confirmed the Greece international would be in his 2026-27 plans.
Tsimikas, who turned 30 this week, has played only a bit-part role for the Italian side, making only six starts among his 18 appearances in Serie A. He is entering the final year of his Liverpool contract, so it could suit all parties for him to back up Kerkez next season because the club have more pressing needs in other areas of the pitch.
Finding competition for Kerkez — who has impressed in recent weeks, particularly with his bursts forward — could be something Liverpool look to do in a year’s time. The Hungary international is only 22 but, partly because of his age, the club may find it tough to recruit a backup if his progress continues.
Other internal options are 23-year-old Owen Beck or Luke Chambers, 21. Beck has not played any first-team football this season, having suffered a serious hamstring injury shortly after joining Derby County of the second-tier Championship on loan last summer; Chambers has had more action, making 18 loan appearances, with 16 starts, for Charlton Athletic in the same division.
Centre-back
It is approaching a month since Konate told reporters a new contract at Liverpool was “close”, but here we are with only two games of the season left and his future remains unresolved.
Gomez, who is set to enter the final 12 months of his deal, fuelled uncertainty surrounding his status when he told reporters following Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with Chelsea that “anything can happen”.
Should Konate extend the agreement that expires next month, Liverpool may not feel the need to add another centre-back, even if Gomez were to move on after 11 years at Anfield. Any signings in this department would probably be delayed until next summer, when club captain Virgil van Dijk’s contract ends and the Dutchman also turns 36 years old.
A lot is demanded of Liverpool centre-backs, in and out of possession. They must be capable of playing a high line, covering large spaces and dominating aerially while also being able to break opposition defensive lines via progressive passes.
Jan Paul van Hecke
Current club: Brighton and Hove Albion
Age: 25
Van Hecke will be into the final year of his contract when next season starts, which makes a decision on his Brighton future this summer likely – and should make him an affordable option if Liverpool choose to pursue him.
The Netherlands international, who’ll turn 26 in early June, has been a Premier League regular for the past three seasons, so would not need time to adapt the way Jacquet and Leoni, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on his debut in September, are likely to.
Brighton are a possession-based side and one of Van Hecke’s standout qualities is his ball progression. Last season, no Premier League player hit more line-breaking passes per 90 minutes than his 12.7.
An example of his ability is this ball to Yasin Ayari, which was key to a Pascal Gross goal against Everton in January.
Micky van de Ven
Current club: Tottenham Hotspur
Age: 25
Like his Spurs team-mate Porro, Van de Ven is currently embroiled in a relegation battle which could determine both his potential availability and price ahead of this summer’s transfer window.
Another Netherlands international, he has shown his ball-carrying abilities, where he uses his strength and speed to gain territory — as this length-of-the-pitch Champions League goal against FC Copenhagen last November underlined.
While not a Liverpool fan favourite as things stand — it was his challenge which resulted in Isak’s leg break just before Christmas — Van de Ven’s recovery pace in such situations is one of his best assets.
It enabled him to deny Benjamin Sesko of Manchester United a shooting opportunity in the example below from last November.
Van de Ven, who turned 25 last month, worked with Slot’s assistant Sipke Hulshoff at Dutch side FC Volendam early in his career, and is versatile enough to play left-back, too.
Jon Martin
Current club: Real Sociedad
Age: 20
If Liverpool were looking to clone Konate’s profile, the data suggests that Spanish youngster Martin should be considered. He has enjoyed a breakout campaign for Real Sociedad this season, making 23 La Liga starts, the vast majority of them as a teenager.
Comparing Martin to other under-21 defenders across Europe, he is not the most front-footed of players. He attempts a low number of challenges, but wins a high proportion of them and is good in the air.
He only turned 20 last month and if Liverpool were to sign him, he could be another young defender in the squad who, like Leoni and Jacquet, has yet to make 50 senior top-flight appearances (though Martin can hit that mark before the end of this season if he stays fit).
That’s placing a lot of pressure on youngsters adapting to a new league, and on Van Dijk to guide them through it all.
Marc Pubill
Current club: Atletico Madrid
Age: 22
Those of you who tuned into both games of Atletico’s recent Champions League semi-final against Arsenal will have seen Pubill demonstrate his versatility, as he started at centre-back in the first leg and at right-back in the return.
Pubill, who’ll be 23 next month, joined Atletico last summer from second-division Almeria, and has become more involved at first-team level as the season has progressed.
The former Spain Under-21 international carries a profile similar to Martin. He is capable of using his speed to cover space in open play and has shown dominance when the ball is in the air — of all defenders to have played 900 or more minutes in La Liga this season, Pubill’s 80.9 per cent aerial duel success rate is the best.
