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One of the most successful clubs in English football, Liverpool have struggled to win any silverware in their recent past and has not lifted the league title since 1990.
Being an offensive team, they boast having some of the best attackers in the world who can dismantle any team on their day, but the story is completely different on the other side of the field. Defence has always been their biggest weakness and as we've seen in numerous matches over the years, they have lost plenty of points in some crucial moments due to needless errors made by their backline.
Jurgen Klopp and the boardroom made a collective decision to splash quite heavily to sign Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk in the January transfer window to end their woes. He certainly looks like the type of player who could fix this issue in the long-term, as they've kept six clean sheets in their last nine matches and the Dutchman has played a pivotal role at the back.
However, his centre-back partners are letting the side down. Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan are all prone to making individual errors and their mistakes have proven very frustrating and too frequent in recent seasons at the club.
In order to win any silverware, Klopp needs to sign a new defensive player who could partner well alongside van Dijk and consequently make the entire side stronger. So, here is a list of the top five centre-backs who Liverpool could target this summer to pair with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of their defence.
#5 Ben Mee
Ben Mee might not be the popular one to start the list, but the way the Burnley vice-captain is performing this season certainly forced us to include him in this list.
Burnley have performed way above their expectations this season and are currently sitting in seventh position in the Premier League table. Often criticised for their lack of goals, their defence is ranked among the best in England's top-flight - they have conceded just 26 goals in 30 league games this term, which is eight less than Liverpool by comparison.
A whole lot of credit for their success this season goes to their vice-captain, in fairness. Mee has made 42 blocks in the PL this term, which is the third-highest across the diision. He has also completed 32 tackles and made the fourth-highest clearances (203) in the league too.
As a result, Mee would quite clearly be an upgrade to current options that Klopp has at his disposal and the 28-year-old would also provide some much-needed leadership.
#4 Stefan de Vrij
A Dutch international, de Vrij has been linked with Liverpool many times in recent years but a deal has never materialised.
He is a product of the famous Feyenoord Academy which has produced players like of Robin van Persie, Georginio Wijnaldum and Giovanni van Bronckhorst among others.
He made his senior debut in 2009 and developed a respected reputation in the Eredivisie following promising displays during his first full campaign. Overall, he played 135 league games for them, netting six goals too.
His impressive performances in the colours of Feyenoord caught the attention of scouts across Europe and he eventually signed for Serie A side Lazio in 2014. Over the past few seasons, he's been one of the team's most consistent and influential performers, establishing himself as one of the best centre-backs across Italy.
With his current contract set to expire this summer, a host of clubs are monitoring his situation and are prepared to approach him - Liverpool need to act fast if they want to partner van Dijk with his compatriot in future.
#3 Jonathan Tah
Regarded as one of the most promising defenders in European football, Tah has previously been linked with the some of the biggest European clubs.
The 22-year-old started his career with Bundesliga side Hamburg and made his senior debut as a 17-year-old. He made 16 appearances for the club before leaving the Die Rothosen (The Red Shorts) for Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.
He quickly went to work, displaying his true worth and world-class potential, before subsequently becoming an integral part of their starting line-up. His strength in the air and ability to read the game is exceptional, whilst being very comfortable with the ball at his feet for someone of his physically imposing frame.
This season, he has made 1.7 tackles per game and has also completed 39 interceptions in German's top-flight. The major stumbling block behind securing his services is the fact that he recently renewed his contract at the club and with a number of top clubs in search of a good centre-back this summer, the Werkself will work hard to ignore all offers.
However, if Tah makes it clear that he wants to leave for pastures new, they would naturally demand a huge fee for their prized asset.
#2 Kalidou Koulibaly
Surrounded by tireless transfer speculation all through last summer's window, Napoli somehow managed to keep hold of their star man in defence.
This season, they are playing some excellent football and are just two points behind reigning champions Juventus in the Serie A table. Though their attack is grabbing headlines, they are equally impressive on the defensive end too - they have only conceded 19 goals in 29 league matches, the league's second best defensive record.
Koulibaly is a quick, tall and strong defender, one who is comfortable with the ball at his feet and has an excellent passing range too. This season, he has completed more than 2,500 passes with an impressive accuracy rate of 91.6%. With 31 interceptions and 48 tackles completed in the league alone, he continues to excel as Napoli have flourished under Maurizio Sarri recently.
He wouldn't be cheap by any means, and there are some big clubs equally vying for his signature, but would be a fantastic addition to Liverpool's backline if they were to sign him.
#1 Toby Alderweireld
Toby Alderweireld is one of the finest centre-backs in the Premier League and would be a dream signing for all Liverpool fans.
He has plenty of attributes which would perfectly compliment the way in which Jurgen Klopp sets his side out to play - comfortable with possession, strong and equally mobile, he crucially plays with a certain authority that would bring calmness into the Reds' backline.
Having joined Tottenham from Atlético Madrid in 2015, he has been an ever-present figure in Spurs' starting line-up since then. He played all 38 league matches during his debut campaign at the club, helping them maintain the joint-best defensive record in England's top-flight.
They finished third that season and for his brilliant defensive displays, he was awarded the Spurs Player of the Year award.
However, his current contract is set to expire in the summer of 2019 and there are reports that he's currently refusing to renew his contract, potentially mulling over his options. If they cannot settle on an agreement, it's likely that Tottenham will reluctantly cash in on the player during the summer months as opposed to letting him leave on a free transfer next year - but they would still command a hefty amount as plenty of suitors are tracking the Belgian international at present.
