Liverpool’s ongoing search for centre-back reinforcements is reportedly leading them towards the Bundesliga.
According to CaughtOffside sources, the Reds have enquired about a possible deal for Bayer Leverkusen defender Odilon Kossounou, who’s reportedly ready to move on from the German champions amid a desire to play in the Premier League.
Xabi Alonso’s side would apparently be willing to part with the 23-year-old for roughly €45m (£38m), and the player has yet to respond to a contract offer from his current employers, with Newcastle also showing an interest in the Ivory Coast international.
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2024 has already been a memorable year for Kossounou, who helped his club to a domestic double and also tasted Africa Cup of Nations glory in February.
Liverpool’s efforts to strengthen their centre-back ranks were dealt a blow when Manchester United won the transfer race for Leny Yoro earlier this week, having been willing to pay more than the Reds for the teenage French defender.
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Sepp van den Berg’s fine form in pre-season could potentially see him being retained by Arne Slot as a viable first-team option once the campaign gets underway, although it seems that LFC are still on the lookout for reinforcements outside of Anfield.
As per FBref, the 6 foot 2 Kossounou is a superb player on the ball, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for successful take-ons and progressive carries per 90 minutes, along with the top 2% for progressive passes and top 4% for shot-creating actions.
However, he ranks poorly for core defensive traits such as tackling and aerial ability, and he’s predominantly right-footed, which wouldn’t distinguish him from what Liverpool already have at centre-back.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t seem to have deterred the Reds’ recruitment team, and we eagerly await to see whether the reported interest will soon manifest itself with a formal offer.
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