Liverpool could be set to refresh their stale squad this summer following a difficult season so far for Jurgen Klopp, and a new potential transfer target has been identified.
What’s the latest?
According to The Daily Mail, the Reds are eyeing a summer swoop for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, who is currently on loan with PSV Eindhoven.
As per the report, Liverpool, Manchester United and Roma will all be sending scouts to watch the 20-year-old next week, as he has been attracting attention due to his fine form in the Eredivisie.
He’s a Gomez upgrade
There is no doubt that Klopp will be assessing his options all over the pitch after the performances that his Liverpool squad have turned in over the past few weeks and months.
The Reds are currently tenth in the Premier League table and 11 points adrift from a Champions League qualifying place inside the top four, whilst also being knocked out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup already.
However, while the midfield arguably remains the most pressing concern on Merseyside, the opportunity to strengthen their defensive presence by snapping up the services of Branthwaite is not one to be missed.
The 20-year-old Everton academy graduate has been given the chance to prove his worth on a season-long loan with PSV, and in turn he has begun to attract interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world due to his impressive performances.
Across 14 Eredivisie appearances, Branthwaite – hailed as a “great talent” by his current manager Ruud van Nistlerooy – has scored one goal and tallied an 88% pass completion rate, averaging 42.3 accurate passes, 3.4 clearances and 2.9 successful duels per game.
In fact, Klopp could land an upgrade on Joe Gomez, as the on-loan youngster has already outperformed the Liverpool defender this season in several important attributes, including pass completion (88.5% v 84.5%), percentage of dribblers tackled (63.6% v 62.5%), clearances (48 v 39) and fewer errors leading to shots on goal (0 v 2).
The 20-year-old also comes out on top over Gomez in terms of average Sofascore rating for the current campaign, with Branthwaite earning 6.96 in league action in comparison to the 25-year-old’s 6.86.
Furthermore, both Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk are into their 30s at this point and showing signs of slowing down, with the pair both picking up injury problems more regularly, so Branthwaite could offer Klopp a young, energetic and high-quality option at the back.
With that in mind, signing the 20-year-old would be a great piece of business for Liverpool in their pursuit to build the next generation of success at Anfield, although convincing their Merseyside rivals to part ways with their young talent won’t be easy.