
Liverpool is expected to pursue a senior centre-back this summer, despite recent signings. The potential departure of Ibrahima Konate and the contracts of Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk expiring in 2027 raise concerns about experience in the defense.
Arne Slot's Liverpool powerplay: He's handpicked a new centre-back
Donāt be surprised to see Liverpool make a move for a senior centre-back option this summer.
Although Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet are coming to the Premier League championsā backline we still could see a more seasoned defender arrive.
With Ibrahima Konate STILL not signing his new contract - and Joe Gomez as well as Virgil van Dijk out of contract in 2027 - there is a danger of an experience gap opening up at Anfield in the near future.
But if a new report in TEAMtalk is to be believed then Arne Slot has already handpicked his new centre-back arrival. This could perhaps be a power play from the Dutch head coach - who now looks guaranteed to stay on Merseyside for another season at least.
The 47-year-old is taking part in Liverpoolās plans to draw up transfer targets for the 2026/27 campaign and .
Liverpool is looking to sign a seasoned centre-back, but the specific player has not been disclosed yet.
Ibrahima Konate has not yet signed a new contract, raising concerns about his future at the club.
Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk both have contracts that expire in 2027.

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The 27-year-old Dutchman joined Napoli from Bologna last summer but hasnāt always been a first-pick for Antonio Conte. There might therefore be a chance for the Merseysiders to steal in and do a deal for a player that Slot has wanted for a long time.
āLiverpool are keeping close tabs on Napoli centre-back Sam Beukema,ā the report reads.
āThe Dutch defender is firmly on their radar ahead of the summer window. During his time at Feyenoord, Slot actively attempted to sign Beukema from Go Ahead Eagles, and that admiration has remained ever since.
āSlot has made his feelings clear internally, communicating his admiration for Beukema directly to Liverpoolās recruitment team, including sporting director Richard Hughes, as the club shapes their defensive shortlist.
āBeukema is under contract with Napoli until 2030, and sources indicate the Serie A side would only consider offers in excess of Ā£30million (ā¬35m, $40m), with the defender not actively up for sale.ā
Sam Beukemaās first campaign at Napoli has been that of a functional starter rather than an undisputed pillar, sitting in the middle third of Serie A centre-backs for minutes plus Champions League groupāstage exposure.
Onāball, heās essentially an errorāaverse facilitator: midātable for touches and progressive volume but posting elite retention (over 90% completion in Europe, 233/251 passes completed in the UCL group stage).
Defensively, the profile is more boxādefender than frontāfoot destructor ā around 1.0ā1.4 tackles and 0.7ā1.0 interceptions per 90, offset by a solid 3.5ā4.3 clearances and aboveāaverage aerial numbers in Serie A data sets.
Napoli paid c.ā¬31m plus bonuses and tied him down until 2030 on about ā¬3m net, so the clubās default stance is clearly hold, not flip.
For a real exit to materialise, youāre probably talking a bid that clears their book value and opportunity cost ā something in the midātoāhighā20s (ā¬25ā30m) if he settles as a rotational piece rather than a nailedāon Conte starter, with most noise so far coming from the BundesligaāPremier League axis that tracked him at Bologna.