Liverpool could address problem position with late swoop for £51m maestro with ‘big potential’

As the climax of a hitherto quiet summer transfer window approaches rapidly, Liverpool appear to be priming themselves for an 11th-hour shopping spree.

A deal for Giorgi Mamardashvili is understood to be close to fruition (Fabrizio Romano), and another part of Arne Slot’s squad could also be addressed in the next few days, judging by reports from Spain.

According to Fichajes, the Reds are looking to secure the services of Piero Hincapie before the deadline on Friday week, and they could be set to go head-to-head with Atletico Madrid in the race for the Bayer Leverkusen defender.

Liverpool may have an edge due to the LaLiga club already spending big this summer on the likes of Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, although the Ecuadorian’s manager Xabi Alonso is determined not to part with a player who, in the words of BayArena sporting director Simon Rolfes, boasts ‘really big potential‘.

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With Sepp van den Berg set to decide between Brentford or Leverkusen, and Joe Gomez facing an uncertain future at Anfield, the centre-back area could soon become a real quandary for Liverpool.

Slot certainly won’t want to be left with just three senior options in that part of the squad if those two were to depart, and although the 45-year-old would still have Nat Phillips to call upon, the latter’s ever-peripheral status on Merseyside suggests that he’d be seen as something of a last resort.

With the chances of a sensational swoop for Marc Guehi now seeming improbable, the Reds would be justified in going all-out to try and beat Atletico to the signature of Hincapie, who’s reportedly valued at €60m (£51.2m) by the Bundesliga champions (TEAMtalk).

The 22-year-old’s performance figures over the past year mark him out as one of the best ball-playing defenders in Europe (FBref), which could make him a perfect fit for the patient tactical approach that Liverpool’s new head coach is instilling.

If LFC can win the race for the Leverkusen defender and also complete the expected signing of Mamardashvili for around £85m combined, that’d go some way to making up for the lack of any incoming transfer activity up to now.

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