Liverpool are whittling down their transfer targets as they continue to assess the market.
The Reds are yet to do any business this summer as the international tournaments take centre stage.
However, with July just around the corner, Arne Slot is surely going to add to his Liverpool squad sooner rather than later.
A centre-back still appears to be the primary position Liverpool are looking to strengthen. Joel Matip’s exit has left them a little light at the back.
Plenty of players have been mentioned as being on FSG’s radar, but the Liverpool owners have now reportedly nailed down one who they’d like as a matter of urgency.
Liverpool pushing to sign Odilon Kossounou
Liverpool have not signed a new centre-back for the first-team since Ibrahima Konate joined in 2021.
When he did, Konate arrived at Anfield from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. With Liverpool buying Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai from the same division last year, it’s clear that they like shopping in Germany.
So, it’s perhaps a safe bet that the Reds are scouring the German top division for solutions to their centre-back problem.
One such fix could be Sepp van den Berg, who has returned to Liverpool having starred for Mainz last year.
READ MORE: All confirmed Liverpool incomings, outgoings, loans and releases ahead of 2024/25
But according to The Daily Briefing, the Reds have instead identified Bayer Leverkusen’s Odilon Kossounou as a primary target. Liverpool are said to have placed Kossounou ‘near the very top’ of their transfer shortlist for this summer.
Manchester United and Newcastle United are also claimed to be in the mix, with both clubs ‘strongly considering’ a move for the Ivorian.
Kossounou has reportedly been offered a new deal by the German champions, but is reportedly yet to respond to the proposal and is said to be ‘open’ to a move instead.
It’s claimed that Leverkusen will let the 23-year-old leave for a fee in the region of £38m.
Who is Odilon Kossounou?
Some Liverpool fans will have become very familiar with Bayer Leverkusen last season. While it looked like Xabi Alonso was going to succeed Jurgen Klopp, watching his team became a regular theme for some.
With Leverkusen marching their way towards an undefeated league and cup double – as well as reaching the final of the Europa League – they were very good watching.
On the back of that brilliant season, quite a few of Alonso’s players have been linked with Liverpool. Florian Wirtz is perhaps the most notable although there has been a lot of noise surrounding Jeremie Frimpong, too.
In the defence, Piero Hincapie is reportedly a long-term target while Jonathan Tah has previously been linked as well.
But it’s now Hincapie and Tah’s defensive colleague, Kossounou who seems to have caught Liverpool’s eye. The Ivory Coast international played 34 times last season and has 102 appearances since joining from Club Brugge in 2021.
Described as “really quick, agile, strong in the challenge,” by Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes in 2022 [bundesliga.com], there’s certainly a lot to like about Kossounou.