Liverpool will fight Real Madrid for the transfer of a £65 million uncapped Brazilian as they look to strengthen in January.
Eldesmarque have reported that Jurgen Klopp is keen to secure the long term future of Virgil van Dijk‘s partner and will look towards Sevilla star Diego Carlos in order to do so.
The injury problems sustained by Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez over the course of the campaign have been a constant source of worry for fans and their record on the treatment table will be a concern of the manager and the backroom staff.
Carlos has a £65 million release clause in his contract, said the report, and Liverpool have been casting an eye over the man who only moved to Spain in the summer from Nantes.
Sevilla look to bank a fortune from the sale of their defender, a man they signed for £13.5 million and a player who only has 20 games for the club under his belt.
But Liverpool face competition for Diego Carlos from Real Madrid, who view the Brazilian as an alternative to Sergio Ramos – wrote Eldesmarque.
The 26-year-old has been viewed as a potential successor to Ramos, who has been a colossus for the Madrid side since he made the trip across from Sevilla.
That fee is large, but the club would be likely to raise a great chunk of it from player sales in the summer. The arrival of Takumi Minimino has put the future of Xherdan Shaqiri and Harry Wilson under question, while Liverpool could raise £20 million or more from getting rid of Lovren.
Max Clark, of Vitesse, is another defender that’s been linked with a Merseyside move but he would cost a lot less than Carlos. Clark has 18 months left on his contract in the Netherlands and has been impressing scouts with his play from left-back.