Arne Slot has been settling into life at Liverpool after being officially unveiled last week.
Reds fans had been waiting a long time to hear from their new boss, and Slot did not disappoint, coming across really well in his first interview.
Now, the serious business gets underway for the Dutchman. With the head coach now working from the AXA Training Centre, there’s little excuse for Liverpool not to ramp up their transfer business.
So far, it has been an extraordinarily quiet summer for the Reds. There are mitigating factors; Slot’s recent arrival and the ongoing international tournaments being the main ones.
However, with the season drawing ever closer, Liverpool need to start firming up their plans. Thankfully, it sounds like that is exactly what they are now doing.
Liverpool making charge for Lutsharel Geertruida
At the top of Liverpool’s to-do list this summer should still be to sign a new central defender.
Joel Matip has now left the club and with doubts over the form and fitness of Ibrahima Konate, Slot doesn’t want to leave himself light at the back.
As usual, there has been plenty of transfer talk to instruct what Liverpool might do. Leny Yoro has been heavily linked although it looks like the 18-year-old is heading for Real Madrid.
Another to have been mentioned more than once is Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori. Calafiori has been excellent at Euro 2024 for Italy and could be an ideal signing for Liverpool.
In the event that neither Yoro nor Calafiori move to Anfield though, Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida could be another option. Geertruida is said to be on Liverpool’s radar and obviously has an existing connection with Slot.
However, young, versatile and experience as he is, the 23-year-old is also courting interest from elsewhere. According to French outlet Foot Mercato, PSG have already made an offer to tempt Geertruida to the Parc des Princes.
It reportedly won’t be straight forward for PSG, though. It’s claimed that while the French champions would need to ‘break the piggy bank’ to sign Geertruida, they also face competition from Liverpool and Tottenham.
The two Premier League sides are said to have been following the Netherlands international for a while and have recently gone on ‘the charge’ to make their interest known. As per Caught Offside, Geertruida could cost up to £21m.
Dirk Kuyt backs Lutsharel Geertruida move
Geertruida looks ready to move on from Feyenoord. Turning 24 in July, the defender has made almost 200 appearances for his local side.
With 10 caps to his name for the Netherlands, Geertruida is in the kind of experience profile that Liverpool usually target.
As they have a need to bolster the defence, you could understand why signing Geertruida would make sense. His ability to play at right-back or even in midfield could also come in handy.
Obviously, his relationship with Slot would also be an added bonus, while he knows a few members of the Liverpool squad from national team duty, too.
Furthermore, Geertruida has also already caught the eye of a former Liverpool hero. Being a Feyenoord man himself, Dirk Kuyt suggested the Reds take a look at Geertruida back in April 2023.
“They have a very good manager in Arne Slot and some of the younger guys like Orkun Kokcu and Lutsharel Geertruida are knocking on the door and playing very well,” Kuyt told the Liverpool ECHO.
“It won’t take long for the interest of top European teams to be there for them. I hope Liverpool is interested in Feyenoord players, and I am an example it can work!”