Despite losing Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley to season-ending knee injuries, Liverpool are not expected to sign a defender in January.
Bradley has joined Leoni and Alexander Isak on the long-term injury list after suffering ligament and bone damage in last week’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal.
The Northern Ireland international will undergo surgery this week and is not expected back until the summer, leaving his World Cup involvement in serious doubt.
The setbacks have prompted calls for Liverpool to move in the January window, with Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi frequently mentioned.
However, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that a permanent signing is viewed as unlikely, with the club confident Bradley will be fit for pre-season and reluctant to recruit for a short-term absence.
Ornstein explains: “For Liverpool, the hope is that he will be back for the start of pre-season and – given the way the club operate – they would not make a permanent signing for such a period of time.”
Liverpool believe they have adequate cover at right-back through Jeremie Frimpong, Joe Gomez and Calvin Ramsay, with Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo also capable of filling in if required.
While a short-term loan is not entirely ruled out, previous emergency signings such as Arthur Melo and Ozan Kabak played limited roles, underlining that this is not the club’s preferred approach.
Guehi remains a long-term target, but The Athletic’s James Pearce reports a January move is considered unrealistic due to the cost involved, with Crystal Palace expected to hold firm until the defender’s contract expires at the end of the season.
Pearce writes: “A January move hasn’t been deemed realistic, due to the kind of financial package it would take to attempt to buy a player who is out of contract in just five months.”
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