Liverpool to sign $49m Virgil van Dijk successor amid '100 per cent' transfer claim as Jurgen Klopp planning to strengthen the back line...

Liverpool is reportedly considering a move for a $49m defender who would be perfect for Jürgen Klopp. It is not only the midfield that needs transfers this summer.

As well as sorting out its midfield this summer, Liverpool could really do with making sure that its defense is fully prepared for the new season — by signing a defender who would be useful for next year, but also well beyond that.

Ibrahima Konaté was signed as that kind of player in 2021, and given that Virgil van Dijk will not go on forever, it would be a good idea for Liverpool to find a similar sort of player to eventually take over from the Dutchman on the left side.

Writing for Football Insider, David Lynch reports not only that Liverpool will '100 per cent' sign a new defender this summer, but also that Sporting CP's Gonçalo Inácio is among the options being considered.

Having waited too long to sort out its midfield before players left on free transfers and a major need for a refresh was required, Liverpool would be getting ahead of the curve by moving for a defender now, with Joël Matip out of contract in 2024.

While Liverpool did not do that in the center of the pitch, it did with its attack, with Luis Díaz replacing Sadio Mané six months ahead of time and Cody Gakpo doing similar with Roberto Firmino.

RB Leipzig's Joško Gvardiol is admired by most of Europe but would cost a club-record sum to prise from the Bundesliga side, but Inácio, according to O Jogo, has a release clause worth $49m (£39m/€45m).

The Portuguese outlet has suggested that Manchester United is also keen on the player, but Liverpool should certainly be having conversations, with a need for another left-sided option clear.

Left-footed and incredibly comfortable in possession, Inácio would be able to slot into the Liverpool system perfectly. FBref, interestingly, has his fifth-most stylistically similar player down as Jurriën Timber, another highly-rated player, but one who is slightly more comfortable on the right-hand side.

Inácio is excellent at progressing the ball through passing and dribbling and it would not be hard to envisage him playing either as the left-sided center-back at Anfield, or even the left-back in a formation when Trent Alexander-Arnold moves into midfield in possession, with the Portuguese talent then hypothetically forming a back three alongside Van Dijk and Konaté.

For the right fee, Liverpool should certainly be in for Inácio. He appears to be one of the few players around Europe that ticks the two big boxes: seemingly within economic reach, but also fitting the profile as both an ideal short and long-term fit.