Liverpool continue to be linked with centre-back signings, both in the current and summer transfer window, and journalist Pete O’Rourke has provided a new update.
The Reds have felt hugely reliant on Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate staying fit all season long, with an injury to either having the potential to derail their campaign.
It would be preferable for Liverpool to bring in a new centre-back in January, in order to give Arne Slot more depth at the back, before signing another top-quality defender at the end of the season.
Speaking to Football Insider, O’Rourke claimed that a January signing feels unlikely at this point, but a new face is almost a certainty come the summer:
“Right now it doesn’t seem that Liverpool will be making a move for (Ordonez) in this January window. Maybe they’ll look elsewhere to bring in a new centre-back, if they do at all. There’s no guarantee that Liverpool will look to bring in a centre-back in January.
“I’m sure they will bring one in within the next two transfer windows for sure. If they don’t do it now, they’ll definitely do it in the summer.”
Two centre-backs required for Liverpool in 2026
As mentioned, a centre-back in January feels like a sensible decision by Liverpool, given the lack of options they have in that area of the pitch, especially with highly-rated new signing Giovanni Leoni out until the summer.
Club Brugge youngster Joel Ordonez would be perfect in that respect, coming in as a great squad option, but O’Rourke suggests that that is unlikely currently, which is a shame.
In the summer, a proven top-quality centre-back also needs to arrive, with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi continuing to stand out as many supporters’ favoured choice.
The 25-year-old was so close to joining Liverpool last summer, only for the transfer to fall through at the last minute, but he has all the attributes to be a success at Anfield.
If Guehi ends up going elsewhere, a similarly elite defender must be snapped up instead – someone who can take on the mantle from Van Dijk at the heart of the defence once he is gone.
