Liverpool deemed unlikely to land dream defensive targets: report

Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool F.C. during the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 8, 2025 in London, England.

Liverpool are having to weigh up headline targets for a number of different positions this January, but their dream defensive candidates look somewhat out of reach.

The need to look at centre-backs arrives as a result of Virgil van Dijk having entered the final few months of his contract, mirroring the situations both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah also find themselves in.

Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo on January 13, Ben Jacobs has revealed which positions the Reds are targeting primarily, and some of the Merserysiders’ dream targets for those roles.

Liverpool NOT in the driving seat to land their dream targets

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is high on Liverpool's list of dream transfers, but it's deemed an unlikely move (Image credit: Getty Images)

Jacobs divulged that Liverpool have ‘long admired’ Cheslea’s Levi Colwill, and have also been linked to Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, but revealed that neither man is advancing towards becoming a realistic target at this stage.

He went on to claim that, alongside centre-back, the club would also like to recruit a right-sided attack-minded player and a defensive midfielder.

Jarrad Branthwaite is still a more likely target for Manchester United than Liverpool, according to Ben Jacobs (Image credit: Alamy)

Jacobs said: “We know with the centre-back position that Liverpool have long admired Levi Colwill at Chelsea, but they just don't think he's available in the market, so at this stage, they're not prepared to waste their time.

“I think that links with Jarrad Branthwaite are still more concrete for Manchester United than Liverpool, and the same can be said with Ousmane Diomande and Chelsea, rather than Liverpool as well.

“So there's several targets at this stage. But again, if Van Dijk commits, then the left-sided centre-back, in particular, will not be something that they have to think about in January. I think in the summer, it is likely they add a centre-back.”

Expanding on the need for a no.6, Jacobs claimed that Martin Zubimendi, who snubbed Liverpool in the summer to remain at Real Sociedad, is still one to watch.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, everything at Anfield at the moment hinges on those three up-in-the-air contracts.

Losing one will be painful, but a club of Liverpool’s size should be able to cope. Losing all three at the same time, all for free, will not only greatly hamper the quality of the Reds’ squad, but it will also leave them with a trio of expensive gaps to plug in the summer, with no additional funds to spend.

With a finite amount of money available, it’s difficult to see how Liverpool’s business won’t largely be led by what transpires in the coming weeks and months with those three contracts.