Defender heading to Euro 2024 linked to Liverpool with £19m release clause
- Liverpool are expected to add a centre-back this summer for Arne Slot
- German reports suggest Stuttgart’s Waldemar Anton is admired by the Reds
- The 27-year-old has a £19m release clause that can be activated this summer
By Evan Curnew
It's no secret that Liverpool would like to add a new centre-back this summer. However, it is still very unknown whether the club will decide to go with a young option or an experienced one. It's also unclear whether Liverpool will focus on signing a left-footed or right-footed defender. One name that emerged just before the start of Euro 2024 is German International Waldemar Anton from Stuttgart.
Defender heading to Euro 2024 linked to Liverpool with £19m release clause
Anton, who made Die Mannschaft's Euro 2024 squad, is now being linked with a move away this summer. Liverpool is among the interested teams, according to BILD journalist Felix Arnold, who says the Reds have inquired about Anton. Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund are the other clubs linked to the 27-year-old centre-back.
His contract is believed to have a release clause worth nearly £19m that can be activated this summer. The German defender only signed a contract extension in January of this year, with the contract running until 2027. He joined Stuttgart in the summer of 2020, having moved from 2. Bundesliga side Hannover 96.
The Uzbekistan-born defender has Russian heritage but opted to play for Germany, the country he grew up in. Anton became Stuttgart's captain this past season when former captain Wataru Endo departed for Liverpool last summer.
Anton was part of the Stuttgart squad that went from near relegation from the Bundesliga during the 2022-23 season to a complete second-place turnaround this past season. Should he stay, he will play Champions League football for the first time next season.
With Tah and Rudiger likely to start above him to begin the Euros, Anton will be an option off the bench for Julian Nagelsmann as Germany searches for their fourth Euros title, having last won in 1996. Anton did get some minutes in pre-Euro preparation, though, going the full 90 and earning a clean sheet in a draw versus Ukraine on June 3rd, 2024.
Should Liverpool look to sign Waldemar Anton from Stuttgart?
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