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Liverpool are reportedly eyeing a move for Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix. The Frenchman is the latest name linked with the Reds following the season-ending injury to Joel Matip.
As per a report in the Daily Mirror, Lacroix will be available for £25 million in the January window and Liverpool are keen on signing him. The Reds are confident of negotiating a lower fee and are also willing to make an early push.
The 23-year-old defender is seen as a potential replacement for Matip, who has suffered an ACL injury. The Cameroon star has been ruled out of the season and Jurgen Klopp confirmed the same, saying (via GOAL):
"It's an ACL, ruptured, so that's what I unfortunately expected from the first second. Everything looked like that. Very unfortunate."
Matip's contract at Liverpool expires at the end of the season. There are currently no reports of a possible new contract.
"Centre-back is an area that Līverpool need to look at in 2024" - Journalist Neil Jones
Journalist Neil Jones reported earlier this year that Liverpool were planning to move for a new defender in 2024. With Joel Matip's contract expiring next summer, signing a replacement is crucial.
He wrote on CaughtOffside:
"I think it's clear that centre-back is an area that Līverpool need to look at in 2024. Joel Matip's contract is expiring and Joe Gomez seems to now be viewed as more of a right-back than a centre-back by Jurgen Klopp. That leaves Virgil van Dijk, who is well into his 30s, the talented-but-fragile Ibrahima Konate and the youngster Jarell Quansah as Līverpool's longer-term options."
He added:
"Both Goncalo Inacio and Piero Hincapie have been looked at by Līverpool, as has Benfica's Antonio Silva, but any move in January would depend, I think, on two factors. One is whether Līverpool's current centre-backs are fit (at the moment, they are) and two is whether those players are available and affordable, mid-season. Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting CP and Benfica all have designs on challenging for league titles, remember, so obtaining key players from them in January won't be easy. Next summer would be more likely, unless circumstances change."
Liverpool are also keeping tabs on several other players with reports of interest in former Chelsea defender Marc Guehi. The Reds also tried to sign Levi Colwill from Chelsea, but the Englishman chose to stay at Stamford Bridge.
