Liverpool consider January transfer with centre-back expected to miss season

Geovanni Leoni has undergone successful surgery on his ACL injury sustained on his debut against Southampton in the EFL Cup. Although there is no specific timeframe for his recovery yet, Italian sources have told talkSPORT it is unlikely he features again this season. Liverpool view 18-year-old Leoni has one of four elite centre-backs at the club along with captain Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez. As it stands, there is no panic ahead of the January window. The obvious move would be to try and sign Marc Guehi mid-season, but there is no guarantee Liverpool change their approach to wait until next summer when the Crystal Palace captain is available on a free transfer. Internal discussions are currently taking place as to whether another centre-back is needed in January. talkSPORT understands Guehi remains open to seeing out the season at Crystal Palace, playing the World Cup with England and then picking his next club as a free transfer. Palace are aware Guehi has no plans to sign a new deal at Selhurst Park. Liverpool also continue to work on an extension for Konate having made their latest formal offer before the summer window shut. Real Madrid remain keen and are free to pre-agree a contract with the France international from January. Liverpool would naturally prefer Konate extends before the year is out, but as they showed with Van Dijk and Mo Salah, talks will be extended as long as needed in order to secure the right deal for all parties. With Konate’s long-term future unclear, Liverpool are looking at a range of centre-back targets. Guehi remains high in their thinking. Liverpool will have to do without Leoni after the youngster suffered an ACL injuryGetty GettyIbrahima Konate’s future could yet lie away from Anfield with his contract set to expire next summer[/caption] Liverpool could return for Marc Guehi next summer when he will be a free agentGetty Chelsea‘s Levi Colwill, who is out with an ACL injury, is still appreciated, but Liverpool don’t believe the England defender is genuinely available and have never made an offer as a result. Alternative options Sven Botman, Willian Pacho, Zeno Debast and Ousmane Diomande all scored strongly in Liverpool’s data driven approach over the summer, but it remains to be seen whether any of the quartet become genuine targets in 2026 since no approach was made for any of the four over the summer. Newcastle don’t want or plan to sell Botman, while Pacho is contracted at PSG until 2029. Sporting’s Debast has also been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent weeks, while Crystal Palace held talks with his teammate Diomande last summer. Diomande’s Sporting contract expires in summer 2027 and the Portuguese club could be open to offers significantly below his €80m release clause in 2026. Slot to shuffle his pack? Meanwhile, the Reds have more pressing issues particularly on the injury front ahead of this weekend’s trip to Chelsea. Liverpool will have to do without Alisson at Chelsea this weekend and beyondAFP The Premier League champions go into Sunday’s clash on the back to two consecutive defeats and after a blistering start to the season Slot’s side could go into the international break in third place. Alisson and Hugo Ekitike were both replaced during the second half of the Reds’ 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in midweek, while Federico Chiesa was ruled out of the match through injury. “Alisson is not a part of the squad tomorrow,” Slot told reporters on Friday morning. “And he’s not going to travel to Brazil as well for the national team. So, he will be out for Saturday. “Hugo is going to train today again and let’s see where he is, and the same can be said for Federico. We have to wait and see after the session where exactly they are.” Pressed on when he expects to have Alisson available, Slot added: “That depends also on how fast a recovery goes. So, Saturday it’s clear, he’s not going to play for Brazil, and I would be surprised if he would be there in the first game after the international break. “But from there on, sometimes things can go a bit faster or a bit slower. It’s always difficult to say the amount of days and weeks, but for the upcoming games he will not be part of us or the Brazil team.”

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Liverpool consider January transfer with centre-back expected to miss season

Geovanni Leoni has undergone successful surgery on his ACL injury sustained on his debut against Southampton in the EFL Cup.

Although there is no specific timeframe for his recovery yet, Italian sources have told talkSPORT it is unlikely he features again this season.

Liverpool view 18-year-old Leoni has one of four elite centre-backs at the club along with captain Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.

As it stands, there is no panic ahead of the January window.

The obvious move would be to try and sign Marc Guehi mid-season, but there is no guarantee Liverpool change their approach to wait until next summer when the Crystal Palace captain is available on a free transfer.

Internal discussions are currently taking place as to whether another centre-back is needed in January.

talkSPORT understands Guehi remains open to seeing out the season at Crystal Palace, playing the World Cup with England and then picking his next club as a free transfer.

Palace are aware Guehi has no plans to sign a new deal at Selhurst Park.

Liverpool also continue to work on an extension for Konate having made their latest formal offer before the summer window shut.

Real Madrid remain keen and are free to pre-agree a contract with the France international from January.

Liverpool would naturally prefer Konate extends before the year is out, but as they showed with Van Dijk and Mo Salah, talks will be extended as long as needed in order to secure the right deal for all parties.

With Konate’s long-term future unclear, Liverpool are looking at a range of centre-back targets. Guehi remains high in their thinking.

Liverpool will have to do without Leoni after the youngster suffered an ACL injury

Ibrahima Konate’s future could yet lie away from Anfield with his contract set to expire next summer[/caption]

Liverpool could return for Marc Guehi next summer when he will be a free agent

Chelsea‘s Levi Colwill, who is out with an ACL injury, is still appreciated, but Liverpool don’t believe the England defender is genuinely available and have never made an offer as a result.

Alternative options

Sven Botman, Willian Pacho, Zeno Debast and Ousmane Diomande all scored strongly in Liverpool’s data driven approach over the summer, but it remains to be seen whether any of the quartet become genuine targets in 2026 since no approach was made for any of the four over the summer.

Newcastle don’t want or plan to sell Botman, while Pacho is contracted at PSG until 2029.

Sporting’s Debast has also been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent weeks, while Crystal Palace held talks with his teammate Diomande last summer.

Diomande’s Sporting contract expires in summer 2027 and the Portuguese club could be open to offers significantly below his €80m release clause in 2026.

Slot to shuffle his pack?

Meanwhile, the Reds have more pressing issues particularly on the injury front ahead of this weekend’s trip to Chelsea.

Liverpool will have to do without Alisson at Chelsea this weekend and beyond

The Premier League champions go into Sunday’s clash on the back to two consecutive defeats and after a blistering start to the season Slot’s side could go into the international break in third place.

Alisson and Hugo Ekitike were both replaced during the second half of the Reds’ 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in midweek, while Federico Chiesa was ruled out of the match through injury.

“Alisson is not a part of the squad tomorrow,” Slot told reporters on Friday morning.

“And he’s not going to travel to Brazil as well for the national team. So, he will be out for Saturday.

“Hugo is going to train today again and let’s see where he is, and the same can be said for Federico. We have to wait and see after the session where exactly they are.”

Pressed on when he expects to have Alisson available, Slot added: “That depends also on how fast a recovery goes. So, Saturday it’s clear, he’s not going to play for Brazil, and I would be surprised if he would be there in the first game after the international break.

“But from there on, sometimes things can go a bit faster or a bit slower. It’s always difficult to say the amount of days and weeks, but for the upcoming games he will not be part of us or the Brazil team.”