Liverpool are desperately short of defensive options at the moment, following the long-term injuries suffered by both Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, but Jurgen Klopp may have identified a replacement for the Dutchman ahead of the January transfer window.
It has been reported recently that the Reds have submitted a bid for Ajax defender Perr Schuurs ahead of next month’s window and the 21-year-old could potentially be Van Dijk’s long-term replacement, rather than just being a stop-gap whilst the former Southampton man is sidelined.
Klopp has been lucky enough to get a close look at the centre-back this season too, with him having played in both of Liverpool’s 1-0 triumphs against the Eredivisie side in the Champions League.
The young defender impressed in the game in the Netherlands, earning a solid 6.82 rating for his performance against the Reds, whilst he struggled in the fixture at Anfield earlier this week, receiving a disappointing 6.27 rating for his display.
However, he was part of an Ajax defence that limited one of the best attacking sides in the world to just two goals across 180 minutes, so it will be interesting to see if his performances were enough to convince the club to try and sign him during the January transfer window.
Schuurs is currently valued at £8.1 million by Transfermarkt and has been likened to former de Godenzonen centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, who was instrumental to the Dutch side’s run to the Champions League semi-final in 2019, before completing a move to Juventus.
The young defender has shown his quality in his performances in the Eredivisie this season, averaging a superb 7.20 rating across his nine appearances in the Dutch top-flight, per WhoScored.
Therefore, it seems as if Schuurs has a big future and should he join Liverpool in January he could well prove to be the long-term replacement for Van Dijk, as unfortunately, the 29-year-old may not be his former self once he recovers from his current injury.
Even if he does, he is still approaching the latter stages of his career, whilst Schuurs obviously still has a lot of time to improve and perhaps bringing him to the Merseyside club in January could prove to be a masterstroke by Michael Edwards, especially if he can learn from Van Dijk and go on to become as important as he has for the Reds in recent seasons.
And, in other news… LFC leader who made no tackles and won no duels endured a nightmare game against Ajax