Liverpool are reportedly interested in a Premier League defender who’s been tipped to go on and make an ‘even bigger move’ in the foreseeable future.
With Virgil van Dijk now 35 and into the final year of his contract, the Reds have sought to future-proof their centre-back options with several young recruits over the past 18 months, most notably Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni.
The Merseysiders also have the likes of Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye seeking to break into the first-team in the longer-term, although that hasn’t quelled rumours of a more experienced alternative potentially being brought in.
Liverpool interested in Tarik Muharemovic
According to a report for TEAMtalk, Liverpool are among several high-profile European clubs taking an interest in Leeds defender Tarik Muharemovic, who joined the Yorkshire outfit from Sassuolo for £34m in July.
The 6 foot 4 Bosnia and Herzegovina international has enjoyed a strong start to life in the Premier League and is already valued at £60m by the Whites, who have no intention of cashing in on him any time soon.
It’s claimed that, while the Reds have an interest in the 23-year-old, they’re not yet ‘as invested’ as Inter Milan and Barcelona.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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What qualities could Muharemovic bring to Liverpool?
Muharemovic made headlines during the World Cup in the summer for being the player fouled by Folarin Balogun in the incident which led to the USA forward’s red card being controversially overturned after the intervention of Donald Trump.
The Bosnian has been in the spotlight for more positive reasons in the first two months of this season, with his performances for Leeds prompting Owen Hargreaves to say on Premier League Productions: “I think he’s going to go on to an even bigger move. He’s been terrific.”
As seen below in the figures from Fotmob, the 23-year-old has stood out as a multi-faceted centre-back who excels in many of his core defensive duties whilst also being a tireless worker out of possession and comfortable on the ball.
There’s set to be a significant changing of the guard in Liverpool’s defence in the near future, with Van Dijk and Joe Gomez both out of contract next summer as it stands, and murmurings of a potential January loan recall for the highly-rated Ndukwe.
It’ll be compelling to see whether the Anfield hierarchy are happy with the depth of young centre-back talent already at the club, or whether they feel that investment in a more experienced option like Muharemovic is required.
The Leeds defender could be one to watch throughout the remainder of the season, given the fine form he’s been showing at Elland Road so far.