The importance of Liverpool’s hard-fought 2-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday was further underlined on Sunday afternoon as Arsenal beat reigning Premier League champions Manchester City 5-1 – all-but putting Pep Guardiola’s side out of the title race.
The Reds remain six points above the Gunners, having played a game fewer, as they now turn their attention to domestic cup action. First up is the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Tottenham Hotspur as the Reds look to overturn their 1-0 loss from the first leg. Following that, they make the long trip to Devon to take on Plymouth Argyle in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Liverpool are not expected to have a busy deadline day with the focus set to be around loan exits for some of the club’s younger players. However, the Reds have still been linked with some exciting moves and below we put together what Arne Slot’s starting XI could look like if the latest transfer rumours are true.
Defensive pair worth £65m join
Two names linked with the Reds ahead of or during the January window is Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah and Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez. The positions are two areas that the Reds need to address moving forward. Liverpool have still not replaced Joel Matip since his departure from Anfield and subsequent retirement from football.
Kerkez is valued at £40m while Tah is worth £25m – although his price tag would likely be higher if he was not entering the final months of his contract. The defender has also been linked with La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. Speaking about the player when Liverpool beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 in the Champions League, Slot said: “I think Tah, who is a real good defender and is one of the best defenders in Germany… maybe the best defender in Germany, maybe likes to play more against a target man, someone who’s there in the middle.”
Speaking about Kerkez, Slot said after the Reds’ victory over Bournemouth: “I don’t think I have to talk about players that we are interested in, let alone a player from Bournemouth. He’s playing over here, he’s having a great season as many, many, many other players here are as well.”
Prolific striker arrives on bargain deal
Lille striker Jonathan David is another player who Liverpool have faced in the Champions League this season and like Tah he is also in the final months of his contract. Both players are free to enter talks with Liverpool over a pre-contract agreement. Tah came close to joining Bayern Munich last summer but he is not able to enter negotiations with them as they also play in the Bundesliga.
David has attracted interest from across the Premier League with the prolific striker set to be available on a free transfer at the end of the season. The Lille forward has scored 103 goals in 215 games for the Ligue 1 club after netting 37 times in 83 matches for KAA Gent. It was reported in the last few days that Liverpool had a £10m bid rejected for David as they looked to get a cut-price deal for the striker who has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs.
Given the links to certain players , Liverpool’s dream starting XI if transfer rumours are true is as follows: Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Jonathan Tah, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai; Cody Gakpo, Jonathan David, Mo Salah.
