Liverpool are beginning to finalise their movements ahead of the summer transfer window getting underway.
The Reds are yet to make any concrete moves in the market, but have seen plenty of players put forward as targets.
As Arne Slot gets his feet under the desk at the AXA Training Centre, it may still be a while before we see anyone definitively targeted and brought in.
But with Slot and his coaching team hopefully working alongside FSG and Michael Edwards, Liverpool supporters will be hopeful of one or two quality additions.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has already claimed that centre-back will be a priority for Liverpool. And now expanding on that suggestion, Romano has named two players who are on the Reds’ shortlist.
Liverpool targeting Willian Pacho and Leny Yoro
Liverpool’s need for a new centre-back is relatively clear. As Jamie Carragher pointed out towards the end of the season, they could no longer rely on their current options.
Numbers wise, the Liverpool squad is not necessarily all that thin. But with Virgil van Dijk getting older and Ibrahima Konate more injury prone than ever, cover is a must.
So far, we’ve seen a high volume of players linked with a move to Anfield to fill that void.
And speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano has pinpointed two of them who will be worth keeping an eye on for supporters.
READ MORE: David Ornstein says Liverpool really liked £70m Premier League player before he got injured
“A player they really like but there are many clubs on him is, for example, Leny Yoro,” says the transfer expert. “He is on the list of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool, who have also been scouting him – so let’s see what happens there.
“And then [Willian] Pacho from Eintracht Frankfurt is another player they have been monitoring and scouting,” adds Romano. “But again, we have to see who is the player they really want to bring in.
“This isn’t decided yet, and so for sure, Liverpool will go in for a new centre-back – but they still have to decide who is the player that they want to bring in.”
Who will Liverpool decide to sign?
Both Yoro and Pacho would look like potential answers to the problem Liverpool are currently faced with.
Yoro in particular comes with a stellar reputation as one of the best young centre-backs on the continent.
However, there have been claims that Real Madrid are Yoro’s number one choice. Once the Spanish giants come in, it can be hard to compete.
As a result, we’d argue that Pacho is a much more likely signing for Liverpool. The Eintracht Frankfurt man has had a good season and is certainly more get-able than Yoro.
Left-footed, fast and strong, the Reds reportedly think Pacho could fit perfectly into the team under Slot.
Although no decision has yet been made, its worth keeping an eye on the 22-year-old with Ecuador at this summer’s Copa America.