Rumour Mongering: Reds Eye Another Red Bull Defender

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It might not be a position of dire need, but some added depth wouldn’t go amiss.

The Euros are over. The Copa is over. Arne Slot is in the house, the transfer window is open, and the new season kicks off in exactly one month. If timely incoming transfers are on the menu this summer, now would be the appropriate time to finalise them.

The question, then, is — assuming there is a desire to reinforce the squad in its first year under new stewardship — which areas of the team need to be improved. Many would say the Reds are currently fairly well-stocked across the board, with at least two senior players available at every position, and if one agrees with that sentiment, the expectation would be that any addition would fall into the category of prospect for the future, pure depth option, or legitimate superstar starter.

Yesterday’s hot topic, then, would likely be described as falling into the middle category, as Mohamed Simakan is a fine player, a wonderful athlete capable of carrying the ball out from the back with aplomb, but at 24, is currently unlikely to unseat Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konaté from their starting berths.

He’s also delightfully versatile, featuring at centre-back, right-back and right wing-back for the Leipzig outfit, the sort of flexibility shown in the recent past by Joe Gomez, which has translated into a lot of minutes played for the Englishman, although vanishingly few at what one assumed would be his primary position.

The Frenchman is coming off a terrific season for the Red Bulls, but noises out of Germany suggest Marco Rose would be willing to let the defender go. Question marks about Simakan’s risk assessment, passing consistency and aerial ability are also worth addressing, and while a reported fee of around €45m doesn’t break the bank, it might be a tad rich for a player who would mostly be a swing option in defense.

Ian Doyle has also suggested Liverpool aren’t currently pursuing the former Strasbourg man, so there’s also that.